Lionel Messi has taken the United States by storm at Inter Miami, but the boom is bad news for jersey sellers who have seen their businesses “destroyed”.
The Argentine icon, who is set to win the eighth Ballon d’Or of his remarkable career, has made a stunning impact on and off the pitch in the United States. He helped Inter Miami win a historic League Cup within weeks of his arrival, while the ‘Messi 10’ jerseys became the best-selling jerseys in history at the official MLS store just 45 minutes later their sale.
Dave Zighelboim runs Miami-based Soccer Locker and has been selling soccer apparel for 42 years. He has never seen such interest in Messi, but that does his business a disservice as customers have stopped buying the jerseys of the best-known Premier League and La Liga clubs. Zighelboim told the Miami Herald: “ They’re not buying Barcelona, Manchester United and Man City jerseys right now; they come from Guatemala, Mexico, El Salvador, Brazil and Colombia to buy Inter Miami jerseys. That’s what shocked me the most. A person from El Salvador who didn’t care about Inter Miami four months ago, now with Messi, they all want Messi’s jersey.
“Subsequently, it destroyed my business for all other jerseys. I do not sell Chelsea, Tottenham or Liverpool jerseys. I’m not selling anything other than Inter Miami and maybe Real Madrid. I had tons of products because the team (Inter Miami) was losing and their products weren’t selling much. Then they signed Messi, and everything changed.”
Brian Berklich, marketing director of soccer.com, a specialty soccer retailer in the United States, is another first-hand witness to the Messi effect, with the South American superstar even eclipsing the furore unleashed by his new boss in Florida, David Beckham, co-owner of Inter Miami. Berklich says: “ Before this, Inter Miami would not have appeared in our top 20, with the best-selling jerseys being those of major world powers like Manchester United, Barcelona, Real Madrid and PSG; for an American club, rising to this position was therefore revolutionary. This first place has never been occupied by a player playing in an American club. When David Beckham arrived in MLS (2007), there was a lot of interest and excitement domestically, but what we see today with Messi… has no parallel in recent history “.
