Inter Miami rubbing their hands together with Leo Messi arrival

In an unprecedented announcement, Inter Miami have secured the signing of Lionel Messi, widely regarded as the greatest football player the world has ever seen. What does this mean for the sport in the United States, for Major League Soccer (MLS), and for Inter Miami? Brand Finance, an independent brand valuation consultancy, has analysed the impact that the player's brand can have on American football.

US sports and football landscape

Despite the popularity of football around the world and the fact that the US women's national football team has dominated the competition for nearly a quarter of a century, the US has historically shown less interest in the sport than other countries. Brand Finance's research revealed that American football and the NFL are by far the most popular sport across the country, with all but five states choosing it as their favourite sport. However, football attracts varying levels of interest, from a mere 3% to 32% of people saying it is their favourite sport.

The US is one of the few countries where the sport is the most popular interest, demonstrating the huge scope for growth in football across the country.

Inter Miami's historically low brand strength could improve

Brand Finance's in-depth study of MLS reveals that Inter Miami underperforms its peers on several metrics. In particular, Sporting Kansas City emerges as the favourite, ranking first in numerous categories, including: my favourite player plays for the club, team is well run and managed off the field, team has a great stadium, sustainable and environmentally positive, good reputation, best club in the world. Real Salt Lake and D.C. United also score well in the research.

In contrast, Miami does not rank first or second in any of the metrics asked. The aspect where they score the best comparatively is that the team is ambitious. Just as when Pele signed for the New York Cosmos, igniting a national fever of enthusiasm and breaking attendance records, Messi could change the fortunes of the Florida team and increase both MLS and Inter Miami's global following.

The power of the Messi brand

According to a 2021 report by Brand Finance, Lionel Messi's departure from FC Barcelona could have led to an 11% drop in brand value, equivalent to a staggering €137m reduction from its €1.266bn valuation in 2021. However, the actual impact turned out to be less severe than expected. Despite this, Barcelona's recovery in brand value has been much slower than that of arch-rivals Real Madrid - which this year has been much slower to recover than its rivals.