U.S. HISPANIC
alma: Messi’s arrival to soccer in America brings great opportunities for the Hispanic market
Maribel Ramos-Weiner| 30 de junio de 2023
Isaac Mizrahi, CEO de alma
For Isaac Mizrahi, CEO, alma, the arrival of Lionel Messi, one of the best players of all time and champion of the current FIFA World Cup champions, Argentina, to Inter Miami, is a great opportunity for the US Hispanic market.
In his most recent article on Forbes, ‘The Messi Effect – How One Single Player Will Impact Soccer In America’, he said that for years brands have been leveraging the power of sports to connect in a meaningful and relevant way with diverse segments, but regarding the Hispanic segment, this strategy was incomplete given that soccer (fútbol) was not at the same level of excellence domestically compared to European or Latin American leagues.
However, he explained that US soccer started changing in the mid-90s with the advent of the Major Soccer League (MLS). “Since then, the league has been steadily growing its fan base, expanding its teams across the country with 27 teams (plus 3 in Canada).” But Messi’s arrival could probably be considered the most significant news of the league since its foundation.
Now with Messi as a player of Inter Miami, for soccer fans in America, this is an exciting time, and brands should be fully aware of the opportunities in the marketplace. “Between the US women’s soccer supremacy, the strengthening of the MLS, and the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup, advertisers have many opportunities to reach diverse segments, especially millennials and Gen Zs, since soccer fever will hit everyone. The opportunity to score is now!” he said.
To better understand the significance of Messi’s arrival to soccer in America and the potential impact on the Hispanic segment, Mizrahi spoke with Camilo Durana, Executive Vice President at the MLS and Ricardo Fort, one of the world’s top sports marketing experts and founder of Sport by Fort Consulting.
“Soccer in North America will never be the same,” Durana said. He pointed out that the fundamental difference between Pele’s arrival to the Cosmo’s team (NY) in the ’70s and Messi’s arrival is the strength of Major League Soccer and how technology enables access to information, our league, our fans, and athletes. Apart from the fact that Messi has over 470 million Instagram followers, instantly reaching fans worldwide, including the sea of young soccer-playing kids in North America.
Just 24 hours after Messi announced his intention to continue his career in Miami, the Club’s Instagram following grew by more than 500% and now has more followers than every NFL, MLB, and NHL team. We have also seen unprecedented ticket sales for Inter Miami CF’s away matches across the league. This is a glimpse into the incoming and valuable cultural moments advertisers will want to be part of.
“In combining the star power of arguably the greatest player of all time, the ease of access to our product, and a North American market that is full of passion for the beautiful game, we believe the multiplier effect will further drive the growth of our league and our sport, especially as we look to celebrate at the global scale with the hosting of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America,” Durana said.
This star power proved itself when just 24 hours after Messi announced his intention to continue his career in Miami, the Club’s Instagram following grew by more than 500% and now has more followers than every NFL, MLB, and NHL team. “We have also seen unprecedented ticket sales for Inter Miami CF’s away matches across the league. This is a glimpse into the incoming and valuable cultural moments advertisers will want to be part of.”
Durana explained that the MLS has players from over 80 countries, with Latin America and U.S. Hispanic communities having strong representation in those numbers. “Combined with the strength of the LIGA MX fan base in the United States and the Messi effect, we believe the League Cup will quickly become a summer ‘must’ in the US Hispanic households while delivering broad general market interest.”
For Fort, Messi’s arrival will likely have a transformative impact in many areas. “When a superstar like Messi chooses to play in the MLS, it immediately repositions the league’s image globally, making it more interesting to watch and play at. On a more practical level, it also accelerates the growth of most of MLS’ revenue sources. It brings new sponsors and drives TV audience growth; it sells more tickets and a lot more licensed merchandising. He will play for Miami, but the entire league wins.”
Fort recommended brands to join this new soccer wave by becoming sponsors of an MLS team, advertising with Apple (the official broadcaster of the MLS), contracting with players as ambassadors, sponsoring the US National Team, and – ultimately – becoming involved with the FIFA World Cup as a sponsor. “Prices are still affordable, and opportunities abound.”
Considering the 62 million Hispanics in the US, probably a majority of them passionate fans of Messi, Fort highlighted that brands interested in connecting with Hispanic consumers might have just found one of the most significant opportunities of the last 20 years.
“Any association with the MLS, Miami, and Messi himself can benefit immensely from all sorts of businesses thanks to soccer’s increased interest and visibility. The arrival of Messi, the launch of MLS’ 30th franchise in San Diego (2025), and the upcoming FIFA World Cup in 2026 make the next few years a great time to invest in soccer,” Fort explained, agreeing with Mizrahi.
