Lionel Messi is earning $200 million (£165m) more on Instagram than his MLS rivals, with Javier ‘Chicharito’ Hernandez left trailing in his wake.
The Argentine superstar is now the biggest show in U.S. soccer, with the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner completing a stunning switch to Inter Miami. He has helped to raise the profile of the domestic game in America, with A-list guests flocking to watch him in action as ticket prices soar each and every time that he takes to the field.
Messi is a marketing dream, and he is taking full advantage of that on social media. A study from Betting.com has revealed that the 2022 World Cup winner is averaging $4.9m (£4m) for every sponsored post on Instagram. Those figures leave him on course to earn $206.6m (£170m) for the calendar year of 2023.
To put those numbers into context, LA Galaxy striker Chicharito sits second on the MLS Instagram earning list, but the Mexico international gets $62,500 per post and a little over $1m in total. Lorenzo Insigne occupies third spot on £22,450 and $134,700 respectively.
Messi has 485m followers on Instagram and earns more per post than leading other figures in American sport. NBA superstar LeBron James gets $1.6m per sponsored post, while NFL legend Tom Brady comes in at $147,000. Messi’s boss in Florida – Inter Miami co-owner David Beckham – averages $841,000 from his social media activity, with the Manchester United and England icon set to pull in $15.1m (£12m) from Instagram in 2023.
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At age 34, Messi is still the only goat in the world of football