Lionel Messi‘s decision to join Inter Miami has been a game-changer for Major League Soccer. Not only did the rest of the world start to pay more attention to the tournament, but Leo’s presence also helped to attract other stars.

Shortly after they landed the 7x Ballon d’Or winner, the Herons pulled off the signatures of Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba, which has been another boost to the league.

In just a few months, Messi made a huge impact in the US both on and off the field. Apart from turning the South Florida team around, the Argentine star already leads the league in top-selling jerseys.

Messi leads top-selling MLS jerseys in 2023

According to MLS, Messi’s jersey was the best-selling shirt on MLSstore.com from January 1 through September 12, 2023. Besides Busquets, the other Inter Miami player on the top 25 is Josef Martinez.

Thiago Almada, who won the World Cup with Messi in 2022, made the top 10, where we can also find Mexican star Carlos Vela (5th). Fellow countryman Chicharito Hernandez, meanwhile, is 12th.

  1. Lionel Messi – Inter Miami CF
  2. João Klauss – St. Louis City SC
  3. Hany Mukhtar – Nashville SC
  4. Sebastián Driussi – Austin FC
  5. Carlos Vela – Los Angeles Football Club
  6. Jordan Morris – Seattle Sounders FC
  7. 7Raúl Ruidíaz – Seattle Sounders FC
  8. 8Thiago Almada – Atlanta United
  9. Eduard Löwen – St. Louis City SC
  10. Cristian Roldan – Seattle Sounders FC
  11. Walker Zimmerman – Nashville SC
  12. Chicharito – LA Galaxy
  13. Sergio Busquets – Inter Miami CF
  14. Tim Parker – St. Louis City SC
  15. Riqui Puig – LA Galaxy
  16. Brandon Vazquez – FC Cincinnati
  17. Karol Swiderski – Charlotte FC
  18. John Tolkin – New York Red Bulls
  19. Diego Chara – Portland Timbers
  20. Dénis Bouanga – Los Angeles Football Club
  21. Josef Martínez – Inter Miami CF
  22. Carles Gil – New England Revolution
  23. Dániel Gazdag – Philadelphia Union
  24. Enzo Copetti – Charlotte FC
  25. Xherdan Shaqiri – Chicago Fire FC

When does Messi’s contract with Inter Miami expire?

Lionel Messi signed a two-and-a-half year deal with Inter Miami in July 2023, so his deal will go through the 2025 MLS season.