Lionel Messi's move to MLS is expected help transform the popularity of the sport stateside and the signs are there that his impeding arrival is already having an impact.
The iconic Argentinian winger stunned the world when he announced that he will be joining Inter Miami later this summer, spurning the advances of former club Barcelona in the process. However, after winning 43 trophies for club and country, the chance to see out the twilight years of his career on South Beach proved too hard an opportunity to resist.
Even outdoing the deal which saw David Beckham arrive at LA Galaxy back in 2007, the signing is probably the most significant in the history of football in the US and it is likely that the signing will help to catapult the popularity of the sport ahead of the World Cup in 2026. The move is also likely to prove incredibly lucrative for the 35-year-old, with his contract including favourable tie ins with commercial partners such as Apple and Adidas.
The departing Paris Saint-Germain star is set to officially sign for Beckham's franchise on July 4 but it is clear that the superstar's status has already inspired a clamour for tickets to see him in action. Staggeringly, seats for away games versus Inter Miami sold out within hours of the announcement, while second hand tickets have even been listed for as much as $20,000 (£16,300).
Now, the impact of his arrival is being felt all around the world, with factories across various continents now gearing up for the soaring demand which is forecast for jerseys and other merchandise. In fact, Embelex — the official licensed sponsor for jersey names and numbers for MLS — has doubled its staff and has begun working around the clock in preparation.
According to the Miami Herald, the company's factories in Vietnam, Norway, Italy and the US are all gearing up for the increase in demand. The firm — which also manufactures the heat transfers which add names and numbers to shirts, as well as team and sponsor badges — is also working with Adidas on the roll out, prior to Messi's official arrival stateside.
Matt Witterstaetter, commercial director for Embelex, explained that the company is attempting to stay ahead of the demand curve at the moment. He said: "We’re preparing capacity, making sure we’re staffed with extra personnel and shifts because these presses will be running 24 hours a day nonstop for the next few weeks, at least.
"Our job is to keep up with the demand of the Messi jerseys. We’ve already started some operations running products ahead of time, even prior to signing, knowing once we get the OK from MLS, we’ll start shipping that day.”
When one considers that the legendary forward's PSG shirt was the best selling jersey worldwide last year, the task facing suppliers does become clear. In the last twelve months alone, the PSG shirts bearing Messi's name sold 1.2 million, while Argentina jerseys carrying his name sold out across the world during the World Cup in Qatar.
Witterstaetter added: “I can’t share numbers that Adidas has shared with us, they’re still trying to understand what the total impact will be. There are roughly 100,000 garments in the market today that we can go and provide kits for, and they could be introduced to the market as soon as he signs but the number after that is what Adidas is really trying to understand."
