America’s most popular athlete: Lionel Messi ahead of Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Tiger Woods and more

Lionel Messi has become America’s crown jewel. The Argentine superstar has been captivating audiences since joining Inter Miami. In fact, LaPulga’s popularity across the country has broken records, even making him the most popular athlete in America, surpassing icons like Michael Jordan, LeBron James and Tiger Woods.

Who knew free transfers in football would change the entire landscape of American sports? Names like Jordan, Tiger Woods, Peyton Manning, Kobe Bryant, Steph Curry, LeBron James and Tom Brady have topped the list since 1995, according to SSRS’ quarterly poll. However, Messi became the first footballer in history to join the list of America’s most famous athletes. In addition, since June 2023, when Messi announced his alliance with Inter Miami, the proportion of fans in Major League Soccer has increased from 35.3% to 37%. But wait, his absolute dominance doesn’t end there, because there’s bad news for Cristiano Ronaldo fans.

In the same poll, Messi has been more popular than Ronaldo in the United States since 2021. When the 36-year-old lifts the World Cup in 2022, his approval rating rises to 9.7%. Since the beginning of 2023, this figure has continued to grow to 14.7%, and jumped significantly to 21.3% after Messi joined David Beckham’s football team. For Ronaldo, meanwhile, the ratio has been at a lower level since 2022 and has stabilized at 5%. In fact, these are pretty impressive numbers that are sure to spark a debate in the sports world. As if that wasn’t enough proof of Messi’s dominance in the United States, wait until you hear how Inter Miami profits from their star player’s presence.

Lionel Messi leads Inter Miami into billion-dollar club

According to reports, Inter Miami’s worth has soared from $600 million to a staggering $1.03 billion. In addition to Newcastle United, the current valuations of several Premier League giants such as Everton, West Ham United, and Aston Villa are significantly behind Inter Miami. As value emerges, they become the second MLS team to enter the billion-dollar club. Who is first?

Los Angeles FC ranks first with a valuation of $1.15 billion. However, experts predict that Messi’s presence could allow Miami to overtake LAFC in terms of revenue in 2024. Miami’s revenue could top $200 million in 2024, which would be a significant 257% increase from the club’s 2022 revenue of $56 million. In fact, these are some of the amazing results Miami has achieved with the help of Lionel Messi.