Menu
People and Pop Culture

Messi Memorabilia Sales Top Chart, U.K. Fans Falling For Him

Former ManU Merchandising Dir EDWARD FREEDMAN said that sales figures for FC Barcelona player LEO MESSI's signed memorabilia on Icons.com shows the Argentinian is now the U.K.'s favorite footballer. Freedman, also Icons Chair and labeled "football's merchandising guru" by The Economist, said that Messi memorabilia now outsells Real Madrid's CRISTIANO RONALDO, the next best-selling player by more than four times and leaves ManU's WAYNE ROONEY and Liverpool's STEVEN GERRARD trailing in his wake. Freedman: "U.K. football fans love Spanish football and Messi in particular. He's the neutral's favourite with most football lovers now agreeing he is the best in the world, if not the best ever. The U.K. public has fallen in love with him" (Icons.com). 

Sales figures through Icons.com from April '11 - April '12:

Player Team/Nation Units sold
1. Leo Messi Barcelona, Argentina 2021
2. Cristiano Ronaldo Real Madrid, Portugal 496
3. Robin Van Persie Arsenal, Holland 481
4. Kaka AC Milan, Brazil 477
5. Luis Suarez Liverpool, Uruguay 409
6. Andres Iniesta Barcelona, Spain 386
7. Steven Gerrard Liverpool, England 365
8. Wayne Rooney ManU, England 274
9. Diego Maradona Argentina 261
10. Fernando Torres Chelsea, Spain 254

SBJ Morning Buzzcast: March 25, 2024

NFL meeting preview; MLB's opening week ad effort and remembering Peter Angelos.

Big Get Jay Wright, March Madness is upon us and ESPN locks up CFP

On this week’s pod, our Big Get is CBS Sports college basketball analyst Jay Wright. The NCAA Championship-winning coach shares his insight with SBJ’s Austin Karp on key hoops issues and why being well dressed is an important part of his success. Also on the show, Poynter Institute senior writer Tom Jones shares who he has up and who is down in sports media. Later, SBJ’s Ben Portnoy talks the latest on ESPN’s CFP extension and who CBS, TNT Sports and ESPN need to make deep runs in the men’s and women's NCAA basketball tournaments.

SBJ I Factor: Nana-Yaw Asamoah

SBJ I Factor features an interview with AMB Sports and Entertainment Chief Commercial Office Nana-Yaw Asamoah. Asamoah, who moved over to AMBSE last year after 14 years at the NFL, talks with SBJ’s Ben Fischer about how his role model parents and older sisters pushed him to shrive, how the power of lifelong learning fuels successful people, and why AMBSE was an opportunity he could not pass up. Asamoah is 2021 SBJ Forty Under 40 honoree. SBJ I Factor is a monthly podcast offering interviews with sports executives who have been recipients of one of the magazine’s awards.

Shareable URL copied to clipboard!

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Global/Issues/2012/07/09/People-and-Pop-Culture/Messi.aspx

Sorry, something went wrong with the copy but here is the link for you.

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Global/Issues/2012/07/09/People-and-Pop-Culture/Messi.aspx

CLOSE