MLS

Lionel Messi pushes MLS to the top of Google’s trending searches

On Monday it was revealed that ‘Dallas vs Inter Miami’ was the number one trending global search over the past 24 hours.

CHANDAN KHANNAAFP

The arrival of Lionel Messi has brought about a huge surge in interest for Inter Miami, MLS and football in the United States more broadly.

On Sunday night Messi produced perhaps the most impressive performance of his short career in the States to date.

He scored twice, the second an inch-perfect free kick, against FC Dallas in a thrilling 4-4 draw. He then went on to score his penalty in the shootout as Miami progressed to the quarter-finals.

In the aftermath of that game, Google Trends announced that the phrase ‘Dallas vs Inter Miami’ was the top trending search worldwide.

Messi’s enormous global presence and legion of dedicated fans has helped to fuel new interest in football in the US. Inter Miami, in particular, have felt the full effect of Messi’s arrival, but MLS as a whole has benefitted from his star power.

Last month it was revealed that searches for ‘MLS Season Pass’, Apple TV’s streaming platform, had surged since Messi made his debut. The record-breaking deal that brought Messi to the league also allows him to take a cut of the new signups to the platform.

Data has also shown that Inter Miami have received a huge surge in search interest since the Argentine’s arrival.

Searches for ‘Inter Miami jersey’ soared by 6,111% since Messi’s signing was announced by the team. The new interest in the club was even more pronounced with the frequency of ‘Inter Miami’ searches of Google increasing by 10,426%, compared to the average level since the club’s foundation in 2018.

But beyond the Argentinian World Cup winner’s lofty reputation, the 36-year-old has delivered on the pitch since his arrival in Miami. So far he has only played in the Leagues Cup, scoring seven times in his four appearances in the competition.

Not only does that leave him at the top of the Leagues Cup scoring charts, it will also give Inter Miami supporters confidence that the club’s first piece of silverware is on the horizon.

In their next fixture, Inter Miami host Charlotte at the DRV PNK Stadium in the quarter-final of the Leagues Cup on Friday, 11 August.

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