'Messi 30' beats 'Ronaldo 7': PSG star surpasses Man United icon's record for jerseys sold

Though Lionel Messi's first year at PSG did not shine on the field as expected, the Argentine has set a new record nonetheless - surpassing Cristiano Ronaldo.

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Even though legendary striker Lionel Messi's high-profile summer move from Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) has not entirely gone according to plan, off the field, the Argentine has set a new record nonetheless. Last season, the Ligue 1 champions sold over one million shirts for the first time, with "Messi 30" contributing more than 60% of that total, a record for any player.

It indicates that the Argentine's jersey sales have eclipsed those of another legend Cristiano Ronaldo - who returned to Manchester United from Juventus last summer after 12 years - and that the Red Devils are no longer the team with the highest replica shirt sales. Incredibly, Ronaldo's replica tops had made United 187 million pounds by last September, although Messi has flown up the charts to overtake him during his stint in Paris. United are also no longer the club that sells the most shirts, with PSG in the lead.

In the hours after it was revealed that Messi, who turned 35 years old on Friday, had signed the French club and would don the number 30 shirts, shirt sales alone brought in close to 1 million euros. The French giant moved its official store to the Champs-Elysees after the signing of the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner to double its space and improve its profits from lifestyle products, with its Jordan Brand contributing to sales growth as well.

When describing how the Argentine's presence brought in money for the team, PSG president Nasser Al Khelaifi told Marca earlier this week, "If we make a signing, it is because we can. Look at the case of Messi. It was the same, they said it was financially impossible, and we have made money with Messi."

Marc Armstrong, Chief Partnerships Officer at Paris Saint-Germain, added, "Demand has grown by 30 to 40 per cent and really what can slow it down is supply. When a signing of this size happens, [Cristiano] Ronaldo to [Manchester] United for example, you might think he's going to get paid by selling shirts, but that's not the case. You can't produce a lot of extra shirts."

Messi PSG

"The agreement is set to guarantee very important minimums but we can't meet the demand for Messi shirts. We have reached the ceiling. Nobody can meet that demand. We are already selling a lot of jerseys, maybe more than any other team in the world for one player, and that puts us at the next level. We have a lot of demand for lifestyle products, the revenue with the Jordan brand is huge, but the demand grows even more when you sign a player like Messi," Armstrong noted.

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Armstrong also noted that since Messi joined PSG, the club's marketing and sponsorship agreements had increased by 13%, as they can now double the terms of several deals. In addition, he also highlighted that the club's social media following was expanding by 1.4 million followers each week and that demand for and sales of tickets had significantly increased. In total, the club believe they have generated 600 million pounds in revenue following Messi's arrival.

PSG chief Al-Khelaifi has struck a bullish tone on Messi's form on the pitch and is confident his output will improve next season. He told Le Parisien, "There is no doubt that Lionel Messi has won the Ballon d'Or a record seven times, and it was not his best season."

"But after more than 20 years in Barcelona, he discovered a new country, a new city, a new league, a new team. A new culture. As well as his family, and he was also injured by the coronavirus. It was not easy for Messi last season, but next season we will see the best version of Messi ever," the Qatari businessman added.