Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami ranked 39th while Barcelona fall behind Nottingham Forest and Bournemouth on list of most-watched clubs in USA
Lionel Messi's new club Inter Miami ranks 39th among the list of most-watched clubs in the USA while Barcelona have fallen down the ladder.
Thanks to Messi joining the Herons, the Florida-based club managed to reach the 39th spot on the list. They are notably the only Major League Soccer (MLS) club in the top 40 out of the 100 most popular teams across traditional broadcast and modern streaming services.
The rankings were released by sports media analyst Larry Johnson, in collaboration with World Soccer Talk (via AS).
There is some growing interest from Americans in MLS but the Premier League and Mexico's Liga MX have dominated viewership. The most watched club is Club America, who are the Apertura 2023 champions. Premier League champions and UEFA Champions League holders Manchester City are in second place.
Mexican teams Chivas and Tigres also feature in the top five with Premier League side Liverpool. Real Madrid and Arsenal are in sixth and seventh, respectively, while Chelsea, Newcastle United, and Cruz Azul make up the top ten.
Lionel Messi's former club Barcelona are surprisingly 25th on the list. They sit behind other Premier League clubs like Bournemouth, West Ham United, Nottingham Forest, and Aston Villa.
MLS clubs are also struggling to get into the top 50, with only Inter Miami, Los Angeles FC, Portland Timbers, and Nashville SC in the top half of the rankings.
Inter Miami reportedly interested in signing another former Barcelona player who played with Lionel Messi
Inter Miami are looking to push for the playoffs in the MLS, with the club planning a potential reunion between Lionel Messi and former Barcelona teammate Philippe Coutinho.
Messi started his Miami journey in the middle of the last season of the MLS after departing Paris Saint-Germain. He is now preparing for his first full season with the club.
Despite the Argentine legend's influence and a Leagues Cup trophy win, Inter Miami missed out on the MLS post-season playoffs. This has spurred the club to strengthen the squad with European players with links to Barcelona.
Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba, both Lionel Messi's former teammates at Camp Nou, have already made their way to Miami. They have also signed Luis Suarez, who has joined up with his former teammates.
According to Marca (via SPORTbible), the Herons are looking to add Philippe Coutinho to their roster.
Coutinho is currently on loan at Al Duhail in Qatar although he did share the field with Messi for two seasons at Camp Nou. While Inter Miami also want a loan deal for the 31-year-old attacking midfielder, his parent club Aston Villa are reportedly more interested in a permanent sale.