The night that many MLS fans have been eagerly anticipating has finally arrived. On Friday evening in Miami, the soccer icon will make his Inter Miami CF debut in an exhibition matchup with popular Liga MX squad Cruz Azul.
The moment is something that the team’s owner claims has been a work in progress for several years and required the help of tech giant Apple and sports apparel powerhouse Adidas to get done. But in the end, the man who helped lead Argentina to a World Cup title just a few months ago will be a player in MLS for the next few seasons.
It is a moment the league is hoping jump starts a serious long-term interest in MLS that has never been seen before. And at least so far, Lionel Messi has created the level of excitement that all involved had hoped for. However, that is becoming a bit of a problem for Adidas.
Lionel Messi Inter Miami jersey’s delayed until October
The company helped bring Messi to America so that it could land exclusive rights to MLS products connected to him. It was a smart move by them and will likely lead to a massive increase in revenue in the years ahead, but they have had an issue meeting the demand for merchandise from fans.
On Friday, Front Office Sports reported that demand for Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami jersey has been “unprecedented” and what usually would take six months to do, Adidas is attempting to achieve in half the time when it comes to getting products to consumers.
Nevertheless, fans who order a Messi replica or authentic jersey should expect a seriously long wait to receive it, with orders reportedly not expected to arrive until October.
“The backorder situation is a result of the time needed to meet demand that is 25 times greater than it otherwise would have been had Messi not moved to Inter Miami,” Billy Lalor, senior director of merchandising at Sports Endeavors — owner of Soccer.com — told the outlet.
Front Office Sports reported that Sports Endeavors sold out six months of Inter Miami stock — including blank jerseys — in just 24 hours.
