When Lionel Messi left FC Barcelona over the summer and signed with Paris Saint-Germain, there was no doubt that the 34-year-old would bump the capital club’s finances.
In an interview with Goal, PSG’s sponsoring director Marc Armstrong spoke about the impact Messi has had on the financial side of the club’s businesses. Armstrong explains that the prices of sponsors for joining PSG have drastically changed, and requests have only increased.
“We immediately had a significant increase in offers, and even before he officially signed in Paris ( …) There has been an impact, and the partners are committed to our price. Previously, demand was already strong, but now it is greater than ever,” Armstrong said.
“Our objective is not to make 150 partnerships but to be more selective. Above all, we choose our partners based on their projects and their values. We will be signing other partnerships in the weeks and months to come. And we already have talks to renew others.”
Furthermore, since Messi’s arrival in the French capital this past summer, PSG kit sales have exploded. Les Parisiens believe they are among the clubs that have sold the most jerseys in the world.
“We believe that last year we sold more shirts than any other club,” Armstrong said. “And this year will be even better. It’s definitely the best jersey launch in terms of sales with at least a 30-40% increase in demand.”
Meanwhile, on the social media platforms, the Ligue 1 side has gained 20 million subscribers in the first week, which is a number that continues to grow every week by nearly 1 million.
“We had the highest engagement rate in the history of player announcements, all club and player accounts combined,” Armstrong said.
Finally, at the ticket offices, matches at the Parc des Princes have constantly been selling out for several months. Therefore, the arrival of Messi has a limited effect, but it has clearly increased the demand around each of the PSG home fixtures.
“There is a huge demand that we, unfortunately, cannot fully meet at the moment, so interest in the secondary market is growing as you would expect,” Armstrong said.
