August 12, (THEWILL) – Lionel Messi’s brand is revealing itself in the numbers of replica shirts bearing his name that have been flying off the shelves, not just in Paris but across France as stores cannot seem to keep up with demand.
In their millions also, followers have flocked to social media accounts of PSG just as TV rights for the club’s matches have become a bargain.
As THEWILL reported about the Messi brand being capable of making as much as was paid to him, the money-making machinery that is that brand has already started to churn out the value before the player has had the chance to kick the ball in his first competitive game for Les Parisiens.
On Wednesday, Nasser al-Khelaifi, PSG club President, exhibited experienced confidence when he bluntly claimed that the revenue the 34-year-old six-time Ballon d’Or soccer world player of the year, who joined as a free agent, would generate for the club will literally leave anyone who hears it “shocked”.
It was already set in motion the day he spoke with the long queues of fans waiting in line to get themselves some Messi merchandise. In a club flagship shop in central Paris, a fan who queued two hours to buy a Messi shirt as soon as the Argentine signed, was more than happy to part with the €165 ($194) it required.
The fan, 18-year-old Jonathan Bouyer Msied, was excited as he said: “I just had to come and buy it. It will bring PSG a lot of money, and it will bring fans a lot of fun and joy. There’s something in it for everyone, and everybody will be happy.”
In June, Amazon won the rights to broadcast 80 percent of the top French division’s matches. They got a bargain as it was at a fraction of the original price after partner Mediapro pulled out. Messi’s entry into the league now makes that business an immense bargain. They will certainly be among the winners now and will be cheering themselves.
The move also consolidates PSG’s position as a big club in the elite class of European giants beyond simply within French football. That project which began with bringing in Neymar at an exorbitant fee has been cemented with getting Messi for free. The financial impact may take a while to be known but it will definitely be more if they win a UEFA Champions League trophy.
That target appears all the more viable now with the team built for Mauricio Pochettino to guide to glory. Even before Messi’s arrival, they were a formidable bunch with the inclusion of new players like Sergio Ramos, Georginio Wijnaldum, Gianluigi Donnarumma and Achraf Hakimi being part of the regular squad of Neymar and Kylian Mbappe.
As expected, PSG is also reaping from all of these on social media. Before the move was certain, numbers were moving to official PSG’s social media accounts. Between Friday evening and Tuesday evening, PSG had gained 3 million followers, including 2.1 million on Instagram and 611,000 thousand on Facebook. An estimate showed a 4.5 million increase on Instagram over the past 24 hours alone.
These are the millions that will become paying customers, ready to fork out the cost of merchandise and matches that the club will gain from in the way Barcelona did over the years. Last year, for instance, Joan Laporta, Barcelona president, credited Messi for roughly a third of the club’s income.
His departure from the Catalan side is already estimated to cause an 11% decrease in Barca’s brand value, as a whole. On the plus side for Les Parisiens, who are valued at $2.5 billion by Forbes, a corresponding increase of club value by an estimate of between 10-20% will be close to the “shock” value that al-Khelaifi, the club President, was talking ab
Lionel Messi To Improve PSG Value With Brand Impact
By Jude Obafemi
Lionel Messi’s brand is revealing itself in the numbers of replica shirts bearing his name that have been flying off the shelves, not just in Paris but across France as stores cannot seem to keep up with demand.
In their millions also, followers have flocked to social media accounts of PSG just as TV rights for the club’s matches have become a bargain.
As THEWILL reported about the Messi brand being capable of making as much as was paid to him, the money-making machinery that is that brand has already started to churn out the value before the player has had the chance to kick the ball in his first competitive game for Les Parisiens.
On Wednesday, Nasser al-Khelaifi, PSG club President, exhibited experienced confidence when he bluntly claimed that the revenue the 34-year-old six-time Ballon d’Or soccer world player of the year, who joined as a free agent, would generate for the club will literally leave anyone who hears it “shocked”.
It was already set in motion the day he spoke with the long queues of fans waiting in line to get themselves some Messi merchandise. In a club flagship shop in central Paris, a fan who queued two hours to buy a Messi shirt as soon as the Argentine signed, was more than happy to part with the €165 ($194) it required.
The fan, 18-year-old Jonathan Bouyer Msied, was excited as he said: “I just had to come and buy it. It will bring PSG a lot of money, and it will bring fans a lot of fun and joy. There’s something in it for everyone, and everybody will be happy.”
In June, Amazon won the rights to broadcast 80 percent of the top French division’s matches. They got a bargain as it was at a fraction of the original price after partner Mediapro pulled out. Messi’s entry into the league now makes that business an immense bargain. They will certainly be among the winners now and will be cheering themselves.
The move also consolidates PSG’s position as a big club in the elite class of European giants beyond simply within French football. That project which began with bringing in Neymar at an exorbitant fee has been cemented with getting Messi for free. The financial impact may take a while to be known but it will definitely be more if they win a UEFA Champions League trophy.
That target appears all the more viable now with the team built for Mauricio Pochettino to guide to glory. Even before Messi’s arrival, they were a formidable bunch with the inclusion of new players like Sergio Ramos, Georginio Wijnaldum, Gianluigi Donnarumma and Achraf Hakimi being part of the regular squad of Neymar and Kylian Mbappe.
As expected, PSG is also reaping from all of these on social media. Before the move was certain, numbers were moving to official PSG’s social media accounts. Between Friday evening and Tuesday evening, PSG had gained 3 million followers, including 2.1 million on Instagram and 611,000 thousand on Facebook. An estimate showed a 4.5 million increase on Instagram over the past 24 hours alone.
These are the millions that will become paying customers, ready to fork out the cost of merchandise and matches that the club will gain from in the way Barcelona did over the years. Last year, for instance, Joan Laporta, Barcelona president, credited Messi for roughly a third of the club’s income.
His departure from the Catalan side is already estimated to cause an 11% decrease in Barca’s brand value, as a whole. On the plus side for Les Parisiens, who are valued at $2.5 billion by Forbes, a corresponding increase of club value by an estimate of between 10-20% will be close to the “shock” value that al-Khelaifi, the club President, was talking about.
out.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
