The departure of Lionel Messi from FC Barcelona continues to generate profits for some, such as a seller in Mercado Libre, who is auctioning the handkerchief that the footballer used in his farewell to the sports club for a million dollars.
The above does not leave in doubt the value of the footballer’s brand, because since his departure from the club to which he belonged for 16 years, brands, businessmen and some other ‘lucky’, have not stopped receiving profits using the image of Messi.
The case
During the press conference at Camp Nou, the footballer said goodbye to FC Barcelona in tears, so he needed to use a handkerchief to wipe his face.
It was his wife, Antonella Roccuzzo, who handed Lionel the scarf that today, according to the auction, would be worth up to one million US dollars and is exhibited in Mercado Libre, exhibiting it as a used and unique item in stock.
According to the seller, he collected it from the trash at the end of the press conference and assures that its price is due to the fact that it contains Messi’s DNA, which could be used to clone the Argentine star.
Will someone buy it?
It is important to say that the departure of Messi from FC Barcelona triggered the search for objects for collectors by 1200 percent within the portal ‘Milanuncios’, in just one week. His maximum peak was on August 11, when PSG presented him in their ranks.
As well as the searches, the platform was filled with dozens of collectors’ objects of the Argentine player, such as shirts signed by Messi for almost a thousand euros, or a set of 10 limited edition stickers with the shirt of the Barcelona for 30 thousand euros.
The value of the Messi brand
In principle, talking about Messi is talking about one of the most winning athletes in history; a footballer who has won almost everything, very important trophies, which has placed him in a soccer paradise, where only a few gain access.
However, the player’s own brand not only has value on the court, because at least in marketing and / or advertising, its role is unmatched thanks to the great media exposure that the Argentine has had through social networks
To mention some data, Messi has more than 250 million followers in Instagram and more than 90 million on Facebook. That is, between these two platforms, just under 400 million people are aware of everything that happens with the native of Rosario.
A recent study entitled “An overwhelming brand called Lionel Messi” and carried out by Human Connetions Media, analyzes precisely the media impact caused by the arrival of the South American at PSG.
According to what was published in said analysis, Paris Saint-Germain registered an increase in its followers of almost 60 times after the incorporation of the ex-idol of Barcelona.
In addition, his arrival in Ligue 1 will raise the numbers of the French league, both in ticket sales, broadcasting rights, the projection of the tournament, and so on.
As reported by Human Connections Media, compared to what happened with the transfer of Portuguese Cristiano Ronaldo from Real Madrid to Juventus of Italy, Messi to PSG was twice as high.
When Ronaldo arrived at the Italian club, the number of followers increased 30 times; meanwhile, the arrival of “the flea” to France, the increase was double.
With this in mind, it is not surprising that more and more people seek to use the image of the footballer in order to generate profits in their favor, but there will be a lack of those who are willing to spend a million dollars for a handkerchief.
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