Lionel Messi has not only been producing magic on the field but his transfer to Inter Miami has done wonders for Apple TV, which has a $2.5 billion 10-year deal with Major League Soccer (MLS) that began in 2023.
Messi made his debut for the MLS club Inter Miami in July and since then, he has scored seven goals in just four appearances and has been one of the biggest reasons behind his club’s journey to the quarter-finals of the Leagues Cup.
His latest heroics came in a Florida derby against Dallas FC where the Argentine footballer scored two fantastic goals including an 85th-minute free-kick that helped his team take the game to penalties which his team won 5-3.
Jorge Mas — Inter Miami’s co-owner along with Manchester United and Real Madrid legend David Beckham — provided insights into Messi’s transfer to Florida in a tweet explaining how MLS Season Pass subscribers on Apple’s streaming service, Apple TV have increased in recent weeks.
“The Messi Effect is real! Subscribers to #MLSSeasonPass on @AppleTV have more than doubled since Messi joined @InterMiamiCF,” Mas wrote in a tweet.
“Also, Spanish language viewership on #MLSSeasonPass on @AppleTV has surpassed over 50% for Messi matches and continues to rise. How exciting for a truly global fan base!”
Mas’ tweet came days after Apple CEO Tim Cook talked about the effect of Messi’s signing on his company.
"We are excited about our MLS partnership, and we're thrilled to see Messi suiting up with Inter Miami,” Cook said.
"It's clearly in the early days, but we are beating our expectation in terms of subscribers, and the fact that Messi went to Inter Miami helped us out there a bit – and so we're very excited about it."
Inter Miami will take on Charlotte in the quarter-finals of the Leagues Cup on Friday at the DRV PNK Stadium, Florida.
Messi is also expected to start along with his former Barcelona teammates Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba in the important game.