Following the departure of Lionel Messi from Paris Saint-Germain, the club has lost over 2.7 million Instagram followers while his new club, Inter Miami has been gained more awareness on the internet.
The analysis by JeffBet also reveals Google search data shows since Messi’s debut at Inter Miami, search interest in the club has dwarfed world-renowned clubs Real Madrid and Manchester United in the U.S. and worldwide.
There have been 8.4 million Google searches for Inter Miami in the last two months, an all-time high in the club’s history, skyrocketing past popular clubs in the U.S., such as LA Galaxy and Chicago Fire.
Searches for ‘Inter Miami jersey’ and ‘Inter Miami kit’ exploded by 1,003% and 468% worldwide on July 22 compared to the last seven days, an increase of over 11 and five times the average volume. This comes as Lionel Messi scored the winning goal on his debut against Cruz Azul in reportedly the most-watched American soccer match in U.S. history, resulting in fans looking to purchase the club’s jersey worn by Messi, according to Google search data analysis.
Messi’s signing has also affected ticket demand, as searches for ‘Inter Miami tickets’ and ‘Inter Miami season tickets’ saw a 950% and 917% increase compared to the last seven days.
A spokesperson from JeffBet commented on the findings:
“Messi continues to prove his influence over the game, drawing attention to Major League Soccer and sending ticket prices skyrocketing as fans clamor to catch the legend in action. As Google data shows, search interest in Inter Miami has grown so big that it’s overtaken some of the most popular clubs worldwide, with over eight million people searching for Inter Miami, raising the club’s and sport’s profile to new levels”.
