It's been less than 24 hours since Argentine soccer legend Lionel Messi shocked the world with his move to join the Major League Soccer club Inter Miami. And if you want proof of how impactful Messi's arrival is for Major League Soccer, look no further than Inter Miami's Instagram account.
Before news broke of Messi's deal, Inter Miami had around one million followers on their Instagram account. Now that news of the Argentinian football great joining the team is official, the club's IG page has reached 5.9 million followers, as of Thursday afternoon.
That is a huge swing in under 24 hours, which puts them as the most followed sports page among any NFL, MLB, NHL, or other MLS team. The New England Patriots have the No. 1 spot with 4.9 million followers, the Dallas Cowboys follow with 4.5 million followers and the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees both have around three million followers on the platform.
Get top local stories in Philly delivered to you every morning. >Sign up for NBC Philadelphia's News Headlines newsletter.
It comes as no surprise that Messi would bring over such a large social media presence because the 35-year-old soccer legend is the second-most followed person with 469 million followers on Instagram. Fellow soccer player Cristiano Ronaldo holds the No. 1 spot with 588 million followers.
Since soccer is often referred to as the world’s favorite sport, it's no shock that the players would have such large followings. However, NBA teams' social accounts also have large amounts of followers.
Who is the most followed NBA team?
Sports
In partnership with NBC Sports Philadelphia
The Golden State Warriors (30.5 million followers) currently hold the top spot over the Los Angeles Lakers (22.8 million followers) on social media,
Who is the most followed NBA player?
Los Angeles Lakers star forward LeBron James holds the No. 1 spot with 154 million followers, with Golden State Warriors star guard Stephen Curry following behind with 52.3 million followers.
Which MLS club has the most followers?
Inter Miami currently has 5.9 million followers with the LA Galaxy coming behind with 1.5 million followers.
