Lionel Messi crowned TIME’s ‘Athlete of the Year 2023’ surpassing Haaland, Djokovic

LONDON (Agencies): Lionel Messi secures the coveted title of TIME’s Athlete of the Year 2023, surpassing renowned athletes Erling Haaland and Novak Djokovic. Messi, with his record-breaking 8th Ballon d’Or, solidifies his status as a football legend. The Argentine’s move to Inter Miami proves pivotal as he leads the club to victory in the Leagues Cup, marking their inaugural silverware. Looking ahead, Messi aims to continue his stellar performance and guide Inter Miami to Major League Soccer glory in the upcoming season. TIME magazine recognises Messi’s exceptional year, celebrating his contributions both on and off the field, making him the Athlete of the Year. Moreover, Messi’s signing with Inter Miami has also seemingly resulted in an exponential increase in the financial revenue of the David Beckham-owned team.

Messi, who joined Inter Miami in July this year, has made a significant impact on the team’s popularity as well as its success on the pitch as the former Barcelona star. Apart from bringing unmatched fame to both the club and the league, the former Barcelona forward’s signing with Inter Miami has seemingly also brought a significant financial 9-goal streak that propelled the club to the Leagues Cup final — eventually winning the title in a nailbiting penalty shootout against Nashville SC. However, it seems that Messi’s signing has been quite profitable for the club in monetary terms as well with the team being on the path to becoming the league’s top-earning side despite not making it to the eliminators. Inter Miami’s total revenue is likely to exceed $120 million, revealed the club’s business officer Xavier Asensi, front office sports reported quoting Sports Business Journal.

Asensi’s remarks indicate a significant increase in the club’s revenue as 2022 MLS winners LAFC generated $116 million last year. The official also said that with next year’s season tickets already sold out, he expects the club revenue to hit the $200 million mark in 2024. Asensi’s predictions fall in line with the projections made by the team’s managing owner Jorge Mas who earlier this year said that the club’s revenue was to increase by two-fold by the next year against the previous season’s $50 million.

Messi’s World Cup jerseys expected to fetch $10m at auction: Messi’s six jerseys that he wore in the first half of each game in World Cup 2022 are expected to fetch $10 million in bids at an auction at Sotheby’s in New York. Six white and sky blue jerseys that ended the French dynasty at the mega event last year are now worth millions of dollars, npr.org reported.     Ailsa Chang — an American journalist — says six jerseys that he wore throughout the tournament are now garnering millions of dollars in bids at an auction at Sotheby’s in New York. These jerseys might sell for $10 million, but in five years, 10 years, 20 years, they may sell for even more, predicts Billy Lesnak — marketing coordinator for Steel City Collectibles in Pittsburgh. He further said the game-worn memorabilia tends to elicit those emotional responses more than just an image or just a video because it is a physical, tangible reminder of a specific sports moment. Simeon Lipman — a pop culture specialist and appraiser in upstate New York — said that the stains and the scents are part of the nostalgia and help an auction house piece together a provenance that these are the jerseys Messi wore.