The arrival of Lionel Messi in Major League Soccer has had a seismic impact on American soccer and the league’s popularity. The Argentine’s transfer to Inter Miami has set MLS on a path to glory, and his effect on the league is just getting started. Since he has been unveiled as an Inter Miami player, Messi’s heroics have made it pretty clear that MLS will be worth watching around the globe for quite some time.

Although, Messi’s impact on the pitch for the Miami side has been evident and a lot impressive. But, his impact off the pitch for MLS is even greater, as the World Cup winner’s presence adds a great amount of value to the league, the clubs, the players, the sponsors, and more.

Lionel Messi Outshines Neymar Jr’s Record-Breaking Transfer

Brazilian superstar, Neymar Jr’s recent transfer to the Saudi club, Al Hilal, and his monumental contract with the club are all over the headlines. A mammoth $434 million deal with the club which is inclusive of all the additional perks adds to the extravagance of the transfer. The Saudi outfit paid a total of $90 million as a transfer fee to Paris Saint-Germain to execute the deal with the 31-year-old forward.

However, after Inter Miami booked their place in the final of the Leagues Cup, ‘Inter Miami’ surged as the top most trending search on Google on Tuesday, August 15. With an impressive 500,000 searches for the club, the impact of Lionel Messi and David Beckham’s Inter Miami on MLS cannot be ignored.

Famous sports journalist, Favian Renkel also shared the news of Inter Miami entering the top trending charts across the globe via his Twitter account on Wednesday.

Favian Renkel also stated about the term ‘MLS’ registered around 50,000 searches across the globe and secured sixth position in the top trending charts. The numbers speak for themselves and it has been evident that there has been a rapid increase in interest and engagement for soccer across the United States.

READ MORE: 3 Years After Being Jailed With $6 in Bank, Barcelona Legend Pens 8-Word Message to Neymar Jr as He Joined Al Hilal in $218 Million Deal

Although, since Cristiano Ronaldo moved to Al Nassr, the SPL has been a magnet for high-profile star players, and has always been in top stories. But, with Messi showing his magic on the pitch in the MLS, the ball remains in his court in terms of grabbing people’s attention.

‘Magic Messi Effect’ on MLS

Messi’s signing has been a major coup for MLS, and it is clear that he has already had a significant impact on the league. In addition to the increased interest in Inter Miami, MLS has also seen a boost in overall viewership and attendance.

Since Messi was officially unveiled as an Inter Miami player, the social media interaction rate for MLS has grown exponentially across different channels. When compared with the month prior to the addition of Messi to the league, MLS social media channels witnessed an increase in engagement of around 1,125% on Twitter, 517% on Instagram, and an astonishing 2,488% on Facebook, as reported by The 18.

In terms of viewership, the Messi effect boosted MLS on Google as people want to know how they can watch the GOAT in action on the pitch. Google searches for the MLS Season Pass on Apple TV surged at an alarmingly high rate since Messi’s debut for Inter Miami CF.

Lionel Messi’s presence also aided in boosting the offline presence of the MLS, i.e. in the stands. There has been exploding interest in ticket sales whenever the Argentine plays, doesn’t matter if it’s home or away. Tickets for the match between Dallas and Miami were completely sold out in record time. 20,500 tickets were sold out in a matter of 18 minutes. Messi showed on the pitch why tickets were in high demand.

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Do you think MLS will grab more viewership than the newly emerging Saudi Pro League with the help of Lionel Messi? Let us know in the comments!