June 28th, 2023, YouGov
As Argentine superstar Lionel Messi prepares to make the move to Inter Miami it is no surprise that the US is abuzz about the football club. YouGov FootballIndex data allows us to look into the sheer extent of the impact the transfer of the widely acknowledged GOAT could have on the football club.
In the almost four years since YouGov started tracking the club, Inter Miami logged its highest Buzz score on June 20 (15.9) as reports of the impending move became increasingly concrete. The best score the club registered before news of the Messi transfer was earlier this year when it hit 10.7 on March 15.
In fact, Inter Miami (15.4) has generated the highest average Buzz score among all clubs tracked in the US over the last fortnight, edging out global giants such as Real Madrid (14.6), Manchester City (14.1) and thoroughly eclipsing the next placed US team on the list – LA Galaxy (8.8). And to be sure, this stellar showing probably has little to do with the team’s on-field performance – Miami are currently placed at the bottom of the Eastern Conference points table.
But how popular is Lionel Messi in the US and specifically among fans of Inter Miami? Three-tenths of soccer followers in the US – defined as those who watch or follow soccer on an active basis – pick Messi as one of their favorite soccer players (30%). This makes the Argentine World Cup winner the most popular soccer personality among fans in the US, with a lead over fellow GOAT contender Cristiano Ronaldo (26%).
Within the sphere of the MLS fan base, Messi enjoys the biggest support among fans of LA Galaxy. A third of LA Galaxy fans say Messi is one of their favorite soccer athletes.
Inter Miami fans trail only by a little with about three-tenths of fans of Messi’s future club describing him as their favorite (31%). Messi enjoys significant support among Los Angeles FC (30%), New York Red Bulls (30%) and FC Dallas (29%) fan groups too – making him likely to be a big draw whenever Inter Miami turn up for a game.
Messi’s immense popularity among the US soccer community could have implications for brands associated with the league, with Apple TV+ standing to be among the key benefactors as it holds rights to selling an MLS Season Pass. YouGov BrandIndex data reveals that Consideration for Apple TV+ touched an all-time high among soccer fans in the US on June 18 at 39.9.
This means that two-fifths of soccer fans in the US are considering purchasing services from the brand. That said, it must be noted that many variables go into boosting metrics such as Consideration for brands and not all of it can be necessarily pinned on the impending Messi move. Still, the timing of the peak suggests that the Messi transfer Buzz is likely to have had a role to play.