Inter Miami gained so many Instagram followers after announcing Messi was joining, they are now the most followed US team beyond NBA franchises

Insider ^ | 11 June 2023 | Conz Preti

[Berlin_Freeper]

Lionel Messi announced in early June he'd be joining Inter Miami for the upcoming season, making it the first time he'll ever play for a US soccer team. As Insider previously reported, Messi turned down an offer from his old club FC Barcelona and a reported $300 million-per-year deal in Saudi Arabia.

As soon as the announcement was made, tickets to see Inter Miami soared in price, reaching $624 for matches in September, making this a ten-fold increase compared to matches before his joining.

But this is not the only thing that is soaring for the team. Fans of — arguably — the best soccer player in the world went en masse to follow the team's social accounts. The team's Instagram account went from having one million followers in early June to over seven million as of Sunday.

[Berlin_Freeper]

[Berlin_Freeper]

#soccerping

[Berlin_Freeper]

The 2022 FIFA World Cup champion is the second highest-paid athlete in the world as of 2023,1 and has earned an estimated $1.15 billion in his career so far, according to Forbes.

[Berlin_Freeper]

This growth has made Inter Miami the most followed US team sport ever when it comes to any team from the NFL, MLB, NHL, and other teams from MLS.

[HonkyTonkMan]

This is an MLS team, right? Good for Messi, but this is still MLS and bo-ring. Will be interesting to see who they get to coach him - very few could handle that caliber of athlete. Supporting players will likely be lacking. Imagine Messi will be frustrated with the quality of play, but he might just enjoy being in the US.

The elite players have been playing the twilight of their career in USA since Pele and Georgie Best. Thanks for sharing the article Berlin!

[Berlin_Freeper]

The other teams might forfeit, hahaha!

But Messi sure is on a whole separate level. In a perfect World there is much that can be learned from him. I hope he is up to some coaching.

You’re welcome!

[FamiliarFace]

Wouldn’t it be nice if having Messi opened the door to having higher caliber players join MLS? Then it might become more exciting!

[Mr. Blond]

The worst effect of unchecked immigration, soccer is actually becoming popular in the US.

[L.A.Justice]

My opinion is that Messi’s wife told him that she does not want to live in Saudi Arabia...She told him that she would rather live in South Florida...My guess...