With 11 goals in nine games for Inter Miami (at the time of writing this), Lionel Messi has taken the U.S. and MLS by storm. Pele, Maradona, Ronaldo? For many fans, none of them compare to Messi in the GOAT debate.
U.S. soccer supporters are experiencing first-hand what so many Argentinians believe; Lionel Messi is the football messiah.
The Argentine is the main attraction in America right now. So much so that even LeBron James and Serena Williams want a ticket to see him. Messi has cemented himself into U.S. sports’ GOAT club alongside James, Williams, Michael Jordan, Tom Brady and Tiger Woods.
So, where in America are people craziest for Leo? To determine the cities or states that are most obsessed with the soccer superstar, we’ve broken seven ranking factors, which are listed below. We assigned weights to each factor based on their level of contribution towards fandom. Then we calculated the sum of the seven weighted factors, giving us an overall city score for each city or state. The highest possible city score was 30.
Ranking Factors
Number of #Messi posts (Per 100K People)
Source: SparkToro
Weight: 5.00
Messi search interest (last five years)
Source: Google Trends
Weight: 5.00
Messi search interest (last 90 days)
Source: Google Trends
Weight: 5.00
Times Messi is playing in city
Weight: 5.00
Times Messi is playing against city
Weight: 5.00
Lowest ticket price
Source: StubHub, Ticketmaster, Vividseats
Weight: 5.00
Highest ticket price
Source: StubHub, Ticketmaster, Vividseats
Weight: 5.00
The Most Messi-Obsessed Cities in the U.S. and Canada
Atlanta has the highest average attendance for soccer games in the country, therefore it will come as no surprise that it tops the chart for Messi fanatics with a total score of 25.6. With Atlanta United set to host Messi’s Inter Miami this season, on September 16, the demand for tickets at the 71,000-capacity Mercedes-Benz Stadium is going to go so far through the roof, they’re going to have to open it.
Of all the cities in our research, Atlanta has the most expensive ($17,550) and least expensive ($115) tickets. Atlanta United have already played against Messi and Miami, in the Leagues Cup, back in July. That time they were on the road and the Argentinean maestro scored twice in a 0-4 defeat. Atlanta is in the top three for #Messi posts, with 10.46 posts per 100K people, giving it a factor score of 4.5.
Second on our overall Messi-mad standings is Los Angeles (25.4). With two teams in the city, soccer fans are loving Leo in LA. It’s the city with the most expensive lowest tier ticket available, priced at $618. This gave a high score of 5.0 for the City of Angels. Messi heads west to take on last season’s MLS Cup winners, LAFC on September 3.
Elsewhere, Orlando comes third with a score of 22.9. Miami’s rivals in the Sunshine State have already traveled to face Messi, and gave up two goals to him. They’re also set to host him later this month, which boosted their overall rating.
Fourth is Charlotte, whose team will have played against the Argentinean more than any other in MLS. He found the back of the net in a 4-0 win over them last month, and they will travel to Miami again in October before hosting Messi and co. in the final game of the regular season.
The Price is Right
Being the main attraction in U.S. sports right now comes with a price. Demand is high, so too is the cost of seeing Messi in the flesh. Atlanta scored maximum points (5.0) for highest ticket price, with a cool $17,550 breaking someone’s life savings just to watch a soccer match. This tops any other city in the States. Scoring 4.0 was Philadelphia. The highest ticket price of $16,200 was second of all the cities in our survey. Charlotte was third, scoring 3.0, with $15,668 for its highest priced ticket. Orlando was close behind ($15,667), also scoring 3.0.
Value for money, but scoring lowest in our factor for highest ticket costs, was Cincinnati. You still have to fork out thousands to catch a glimpse of the Argentine, but the price is considerably lower at $2,424. The Queen City scored 1.5.
Cincy did, however, score 4.0 for its cheapest ticket. Priced at $330, it’s the city ranked second with its cheap seats not so…cheap. LA was highest with $618 for the lowest priced ticket in town. The cities where it can cost you less than $200 to see Messi are Atlanta ($115), Chicago ($146) and Charlotte ($148).
Much Ado About Messi
Richmond, Virginia is home to the most #Messi posts. The state capital scored 5.0 for the 47.47 social media posts per 100K people. The next most-active city for Messi posts is Birmingham, Alabama. The number of #Messi posts in Magic City are 25.73 per 100K people. As previously mentioned, third is Atlanta with 10.46 per the same number of people. Despite being in the same state as Miami, there were no posts tagging Messi’s name in Tampa. Seattle has one of the most vibrant fan bases in U.S. soccer, but no one has posted about #Messi on socials.
Looking for Leo
The San Jose Earthquakes don’t have Inter Miami on their remaining schedule this season, but Messi Mania has certainly hit the city. Soccer fans in the Silicon Valley have shown a 93% increase in searches related to Lionel Messi in the past 90 days compared to the last five years. The Google Trends analysis we conducted included search terms such as “Messi”, “Messi Miami”, “Messi Tickets”, “Messi Jersey”, and more.
Messi Merchandise
David Beckham’s already getting a return on his investment in Miami. Merchandise sales were 50-times more the day after Lionel Messi’s move was announced, and searches for Messi collectables increased by 75% on eBay. Inter Miami sells 50% more merchandise than the next closest MLS team.
Despite being 36, Lionel Messi is still producing at an elite level in MLS. He’s the fourth-oldest player in the league’s history to score on his debut, and he’s continued to unlock defenses since that first goal. In a competitive marketplace with so many GOATs on show across multiple sports, soccer’s maestro looks set to be the headline act for the next two years of his contract.
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