Inter Miami and Adidas strike gold with Messi shirt sales
Since Leo Messi’s arrival in MLS, the Inter Miami shirt has been one of the best-selling sports articles in the world. It’s a bonus and a headache for Adidas, who are struggling to meet demands.
Little more than three months have passed since Leo Messi landed in MLS to forever change the history of Inter Miami. Although the Herons went from being candidates to win everything, and even being the great rival to beat, they have finally said goodbye to the postseason - without even having a chance to take part in the playoffs. However, despite the sporting setback, the non-sporting success that Messi’s arrival has brought about has generated exponential income not only for Inter Miami, but also for sportswear manufacturer, Adidas.
In an interview for The New York Times Tor Southard, senior director of Adidas’ football section, commented on how the brand was affected by Messi’s arrival in the United States back in the summer. At the end of August, the pink Inter Miami shirt with the ‘10′ on the back became the most desired and sold sports item in the world.
As soon as the signing of the ‘10’ was confirmed, Adidas was overwhelmed by a whopping half a million orders from retail stores and suppliers to obtain the shirt for Beckham’s team. However, the German firm found a problem that ended up delaying shipments, the color of the shirt. “It’s not like it was white and we had inventory that we could reuse,” Southard told the New York newspaper.
The day Messi’s signing was announced, the No.10 shirt “evaporated” from all physical and virtual stores. The ‘Messimanía’ far exceeded all expectations, even surpassing the announcement of Cristiano Ronaldo’s return to Manchester United, who the German brand is also a supplier for - or the Argentina shirt with the third star, where Adidas had to produce and ship more than 400,000 in the space of three months.
“It is difficult to exaggerate the demand that Messi has created. Official sales have exceeded all the benchmarks that Adidas could have imagined,” indicated Southard. Messi generated a greater stampede to buy his shirt than what was previously seen when David Beckham then Zlatan Ibrahimovic joined the Los Angeles Galaxy.
The best-selling shirt in the United States
Since Messi touched down in the States, income has been exponential for all the brands that have been associated with the Argentine ace. From the subscriptions to the MLS Pass on Apple TV, to the ‘Sold Out’ posters that hung in the soccer stadiums the Argentine has passed through. The No.10 jersey has become not a luxury item, but almost a status symbol in the United States. According to Southard, “The Inter Miami shirt is ahead of the five historic European clubs that the brand has traditionally considered the crown jewels of its illustrious portfolio: Manchester United, Real Madrid, Juventus, Bayern Munich and Arsenal ”.