Lionel Messi’s fans didn’t have to wait long for his first signature moment with Inter Miami CF. But they will have to wait if they want to buy his jersey.
Listings for pink or black Messi No. 10 jerseys from the official MLS shop currently feature a pre-order warning that says Adidas will be delivering the product in “mid October.” The disclaimer covers the $195 authentic jersey, the $125 adult replicas and the $105 youth replicas.
It’s a surprising commercial misfire at a very high-profile moment. The Argentine soccer star has been talking loosely with Inter Miami for years, and he turned heads across the globe when he announced in early June that he would be coming to Florida. That was a full six weeks before he made his debut for the team on July 21.
The business ramifications could also directly impact the striker. Messi has a lifetime deal with Adidas and is expected to sign a side agreement that will let him share in some of the commercial upside of his jersey sales. If people choose not to order a jersey because it won’t arrive until the end of Inter Miami’s season, that’s bad for fans, Adidas, MLS, Inter Miami, Fanatics and Messi himself.
The warnings on the official MLS and Inter Miami stores, which are run by league partner Fanatics, imply that the delay is on the Adidas side—it says the jerseys will ship “within one business day” of Adidas delivering them to a Fanatics fulfillment center in a few months. Representatives for Adidas, MLS and Fanatics declined to comment on the specifics of the delay.
“The demand for Messi’s Miami jersey has been truly unprecedented,” an Adidas spokesman said in a statement. “We’re working as quickly as possible to ensure that every fan who wants a jersey can get one.”
To grasp of the complexity with the Messi jerseys, it’s helpful to understand how the business of official licensed uniforms has changed over the past decade. For a long time, sportswear companies such as Nike, Adidas or Reebok were solely responsible for the manufacturing of uniforms—both authentic and fan replicas—for their league partners. That’s changed with the expansion of Fanatics’ business.
Michael Rubin’s company is the official ecommerce partner for all five major U.S. men’s leagues, and it has slowly acquired jersey rights of its own, but there’s a lesser-known part of its business that also relevant—Fanatics manufactures a lot of the Nike-branded uniforms that fans purchase at retail. Fanatics keeps a store of blank Nike fan jerseys for teams in the NFL and MLB, and it readies, prints and ships them when ordered by customers.
The process isn’t without hiccups, but it allows a company that is fully focused on licensed apparel to bear the brunt of getting product to fans. In return, the sportswear giant moves the manufacturing costs off its books (it receives a royalty from Fanatics) and is freed up to focus primarily on the marketing aspect of its league deals. Fanatics is manufacturing at least one tier of fan jersey for every major league in the U.S., except in MLS.
In February, MLS signed a new six-year extension with Adidas worth $830 million, according to someone familiar with the terms. Adidas is among the league’s highest-paying partners and also its oldest—MLS clubs have worn Adidas uniforms every year since the 1996 inaugural season.
In the MLS set-up, Adidas controls the rights and manufacturing for all the jerseys—not just the on-field ones, but also every tier of adult and youth uniforms sold to fans. That puts the onus on the German sportswear giant to hold blanks, gauge market trends and rev up the supply chain when needed.
That’s likely fairly simple most of the time, but it can strain under the weight of a generational talent like Messi. The 36-year-old is the biggest signing in MLS history, and his arrival in Miami has triggered an unprecedented rush for MLS tickets and apparel. There were some jerseys available—both from retailers and official Adidas channels—right when Messi was formally signed, but that inventory sold out quickly. There’s also a vibrant market for non-official jerseys in Miami and elsewhere. In the past week, Inter Miami has been the highest-selling team in any sport across the Fanatics network.
Adidas currently isn’t selling Messi jerseys through its website, but they are listed for pre-order in the Adidas mobile app. Those listings do not carry a specific time frame, but note that Adidas members can join a waitlist, and that orders will be filled automatically when supplies are replenished.
As part of its broader partnership with Messi, Adidas is also selling its own line of Messi/Miami apparel. Much of that line, which includes a No. 10 jersey-style shirt, includes pink colors similar to Inter Miami’s, and most items appear to be in stock. Those are also for sale on the Fanatics networks of sites.
