Bovada
Olympic Sports
News, Blog and GuidesOn Monday it was revealed that ‘Dallas vs Inter Miami’ was the number one trending global search over the past 24 hours.
William GittinsWillGittUpdate: Aug 8th, 2023 13:17 EDT
CHANDAN KHANNAAFP
The arrival of Lionel Messi has brought about a huge surge in interest for Inter Miami, MLS and football in the United States more broadly.
On Sunday night Messi produced perhaps the most impressive performance of his short career in the States to date.
He scored twice, the second an inch-perfect free kick, against FC Dallas in a thrilling 4-4 draw. He then went on to score his penalty in the shootout as Miami progressed to the quarter-finals.
In the aftermath of that game, Google Trends announced that the phrase ‘Dallas vs Inter Miami’ was the top trending search worldwide.
“dallas vs inter miami” is the top trending search in the world over the past day, and the world is searching MLS more than ever before ⚽️
— GoogleTrends (@GoogleTrends) August 7, 2023
Messi’s enormous global presence and legion of dedicated fans has helped to fuel new interest in football in the US. Inter Miami, in particular, have felt the full effect of Messi’s arrival, but MLS as a whole has benefitted from his star power.
Last month it was revealed that searches for ‘MLS Season Pass’, Apple TV’s streaming platform, had surged since Messi made his debut. The record-breaking deal that brought Messi to the league also allows him to take a cut of the new signups to the platform.
Google searches for MLS Season Pass on Apple TV have EXPLODED since Lionel Messi's debut 💰 Reminder: Apple is paying MLS $2.5 billion over 10 years ($250M/year) for global broadcasting rights, and part of Lionel Messi's deal includes revenue sharing from Apple for new signups. pic.twitter.com/LJSXeq7VTt
— Joe Pompliano (@JoePompliano) July 26, 2023
Data has also shown that Inter Miami have received a huge surge in search interest since the Argentine’s arrival.
Searches for ‘Inter Miami jersey’ soared by 6,111% since Messi’s signing was announced by the team. The new interest in the club was even more pronounced with the frequency of ‘Inter Miami’ searches of Google increasing by 10,426%, compared to the average level since the club’s foundation in 2018.
But beyond the Argentinian World Cup winner’s lofty reputation, the 36-year-old has delivered on the pitch since his arrival in Miami. So far he has only played in the Leagues Cup, scoring seven times in his four appearances in the competition.
