Shohei Ohtani can’t stop breaking records. The Japanese superstar who made a name for himself in MLB for his two-way abilities has now set Fanatics’ all-time record for jersey sales within the first 48 hours of release, surpassing the likes of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
The 29-year-old has recently sent the baseball community wild by signing a historic deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers, and his No. 17 shirt is already making online sales go through the roof.
Messi had previously set the record of jersey sales in the first 48 hours when his No. 10 Inter Miami kit hit the market. The Argentine star now finds himself below Ohtani, followed by Ronaldo, Justin Fields, and Bryce Harper.
Shohei Ohtani also sets all-time record in sports with Dodgers contract
Before leading Fanatics’ jersey sales within 48 hours, Ohtani had previously set another record in the sports world by signing a 10-year, $700 million deal with the Dodgers.
That’s more than any other sports star has ever made. While Messi agreed on a reported two-and-a-half year contract with Inter Miami that sees him make nearly $50m per year, Ronaldo signed a $400m, two-and-a-half year deal with Al-Nassr in January 2023.
Ohtani, however, will reportedly get just $20m of his $700m contract over the next decade, as he agreed to defer $680m of his salary to let the Dodgers have more space on their budget while he’s under contract. But the team will have to start paying the Japanese star those remanining $680m from 2034.
