(CNN) – Observing Lionel Messi’s performance in the United States is a piece of cake, but mimicking his fashion sense presents a slightly more demanding task.
Adidas, the official shirt manufacturer, stated that there is an incredibly unprecedented demand for the $160 shirt. Those fans who wish to purchase an authentic Inter Miami shirt featuring the name of the new team’s star will need to exercise patience until mid-October, precisely when the Major League Soccer season concludes.
The official MLS store, including the mid-October delivery date, warns buyers about several sellers hindering that.
A spokesperson from Adidas said, “whether online or in one of our stores, all fans who want a shirt can get one to ensure that we are working as quickly as possible.”
The retailer Soccer.Com said that it sold out of generic Inter Miami jerseys in just six months, after announcing Messi’s intention to come to the US in June. The troubled Florida team is experiencing a halo effect from Messi’s arrival.
Billy Lalor, the senior director of consumer merchandising at Soccer.Com, informed CNN that Adidas granted them the opportunity to submit a new order to speed up the manufacturing process. Lalor mentioned that while it usually takes six months for a factory order to navigate through the supply chain and become available in the market, Adidas is accomplishing this task in just half the usual time.
According to Lalor, the Messi branded shirts for sale and ready to ship have been “selling quite well,” which Soccer.Com has a lot of. However, the fans will not be left empty-handed.
Globally, Adidas swiftly sold Argentina’s kit after the football superstar’s initial triumph in the FIFA World Cup last year. Adidas has encountered issues with messimania previously, and this occurrence is not the initial instance.
In comparison to the prior year, Adidas experienced a 30% growth in their football merchandise sales during the first nine months of 2022. Additionally, they achieved approximately US$ 424 million in “event-related sales” during the fourth quarter. The results for Adidas were greatly improved thanks to the World Cup.
