MIAMI — Lionel Messi’s No. 10 Inter Miami jersey is about to become one of the most sought-after shirts in sports history. Factories in Vietnam, Norway, Italy and Miamisburg, Ohio, (yes, Miamisburg) are bracing for the onslaught of orders.
From the moment the Argentine soccer icon announced on June 7 his plans to join Miami’s MLS franchise, a company called Embelix Team Sports doubled its staff and began working around the clock at those four locations to add Messi’s name and number to whatever Inter Miami pink and black Adidas jerseys it could get its hands on.
Embelix is the official licensed sponsor for jersey names and numbers for MLS, the English Premier League and Spain’s LaLiga. It produces and applies the heat transfers used to add names and numbers to shirts and provide team crests and sponsor badges.
