Lionel Messi has already had insane impact on Inter Miami since announcing move
Lionel Messi has already had insane impact on Inter Miami
Lionel Messi has already had insane impact on Inter Miami since announcing move
Lionel Messi has already had an extraordinary impact on Inter Miami since confirming his move to the Major League Soccer outfit.
Messi, widely regarded as the greatest footballer of all time, announced his decision to move to Miami following weeks of speculation over his future.
The 35-year-old wanted to return to Barcelona after leaving Paris Saint-Germain this summer, but an emotional return to Camp Nou became an impossibility due to Financial Fair Play (FFP) limitations.
“I’ve taken the decision that I am going to Miami,” Messi told Spanish newspapers Diario Sport and Mundo Deportivo, per BBC Sport. “[I decided] to leave Europe.”
The legendary Argentina forward added: “It’s true that I had offers from another European team but I didn’t even think about it because in Europe, my idea was only to go to Barcelona.
“After winning the World Cup and not being able to go to Barca, it’s time to go to MLS to live football in a different way and enjoy my day to day life more.
“Obviously with the same responsibility and desire to win, and to do things well, but with more calm.”
What impact has Messi had on Inter Miami so far?
Per The Spectator Index, Inter Miami gained over a million followers on social media within 10 minutes of Messi announcing his move to the club.
Beckham’s club had one million followers on Instagram prior to Messi’s announcement.
That number more than doubled a couple of hours later – and on Thursday morning Inter Miami’s follower count on Instagram alone stood at 4.4 million.
So, within 12 hours of Messi’s announcement, Inter Miami’s Instagram following had quadrupled.
Expect that number to continue growing exponentially over the coming weeks.
Messi had a similar impact on Inter Miami’s official Twitter account, where numbers stood just shy of 400k early on Thursday morning (up from 190k the previous day).
Aside from a dramatic increase in social media followers, Messi has also impacted the price of Inter Miami’s tickets.
Per Bleacher Report, tickets for Inter Miami’s cheapest tickets for the club’s match before signing Messi can be purchased for just $29.
But those hoping to catch Inter Miami’s first match after Messi’s arrival will need to fork out an eye-watering $467(!).
