Inter Miami are already reaping dividends from Lionel Messi before the Argentine would even make a competitive appearance for the club.
Messi confirmed his decision to join Inter Miami on Wednesday, snubbing a return to Barcelona and a lucrative offer from Saudi Arabia.
Earlier this month, Paris Saint Germain boss Christophe Galtier revealed that the Argentine would exit the French capital after the 30th of June when his contract expires.
Expectedly, the 7-time Ballon d’Or winner received several offers as he contemplated on his next destination.
However, it’s a move to the land of opportunities that has fascinated him the most.
It was widely reported during the season that Inter Miami were in a domineering position to sign Lionel Messi and it appears they have gotten their man.
Despite the contract of Messi not being finalized due to paperwork, Inter Miami are already feeling the Lionel Messi’s effect.
The Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami journey has began
Firstly, their Instagram followers count felt the monstrous hit of a superstar joining the Franchise as it received a 5.6 million increase in less than 48 hours.
Lionel Messi is certainly one of the biggest and most popular sports personalities in the world.
He has a staggering net worth of nearly £500 million and earns more than £50 million via sponsorship deals.
Prior to when the Argentine’s move was announced, Inter Miami had about 900,000 followers on Instagram.
However, less than 48 hours from his announcement, their followers count has skyrocketed to a massive 6.5 million.
Concurrently, Paris Saint Germain are also feeling the heat of his exit as they have since lost one million followers since the Argentine’s last game against Clermont Foot.
Meanwhile, Inter Miami’s Twitter account also saw a massive growth, increasing from 207,000 to 466,000.
Their Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube accounts are also seeing an upward surge in their followers.
Inter Miami amassed over a million followers on social media in the space of 10 minutes after Messi’s announcement, according to The Spectator Index.
The confirmation of Lionel Messi’s arrival to Inter Miami also had an instant impact on the costs of a match ticket.
His likely debut for The Herons is a match against Cruz Azul on the 21st of July and its ticket cost has also risen to the roof.
The cheapest tickets saw an upward surge from $29 to $329 based on TickPick.
The ticket cost for the Miami based club’s encounter with Los Angeles FC is now $422 after being $81 initially.
Based on information from Forbes, Inter Miami has seen a 1000% growth in ticket cost altogether since Lionel Messi’s deal was announced.
Average ticket cost for Inter Miami grew from $152 at the beginning of the campaign to $935, an obvious 515% rise.
Supporters are not perturbed by the astronomical increase in ticket cost as match tickets for the Argentine’s debut game have already been fully purchased.
There’s even speculation that the encounter could be taken to a venue bigger than 18,000.
The attention of many across the globe which has shifted to the MLS due to the arrival of Lionel Messi has also been felt across the league.
In September, Atlanta United would open its Mercedes-Benz stadium to its full capacity.
Atlanta United’s home ground usually attracts 50,000 supporters for Major League Soccer matches.
But that crowd is expected to increase immensely to a 70,000 sell-out when Lionel Messi comes to their ground.
