It seems the football world can’t get enough of Lionel Messi. Since the superstar joined Major League Soccer (MLS), ticket costs for matches featuring him have soared to unprecedented levels. For this Sunday’s clash between Inter Miami and Los Angeles FC, the average ticket price is $690, a 527% increase from the regular MLS ticket price of $110 , as indicated by TickPick. The cheapest ticket for this highly anticipated game is set at $785.
According to Brett Goldberg, co-CEO of TickPick, current ticket prices are likely to remain stable, with a slight possibility of additional inflation due to increased demand. Already one of the best in the league, LAFC is seeing amplified interest due to the emergence of Messi, who Goldberg refers to as “one of the greatest athletes in the world coming to town.”
This “Messi effect” is not limited to ticket sales. Since his MLS debut in July, subscriptions to Apple’s soccer streaming service have soared, with Adidas reporting “unprecedented” demand for Messi shirts, prompting a backlog that stretches back to October Soccer.com revealed that Messi-related shirts are now the eight best sellers on their site. Inter Miami, featuring Messi, has become the best-selling MLS club kit in every US state except Vermont.
Will this be the peak of Messi-induced MLS excitement or will there be more to come? Either way, the iconic athlete’s impact is felt far beyond the football field.
This article is sourced from and written by AI.
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