With a combined estimated valuation of $900 million, Cristiano Ronaldo ($500m) and Lionel Messi ($400m) are the most polarizing figures in football history. The evocation these names bring fans is indescribable! From countless league titles and Champions Leagues. We’ve celebrated and had our hearts broken alongside them, but how will it be now that they’re both playing for different clubs? What does the 2021 transfer window mean?
Cristiano Ronaldo, after his 2-year stint with Juventus, has moved onto seemingly greener pastures, or should I say pitches, back in the country where he became a legend, England. It sounds like the perfect end to his tale! Back at Manchester United, where he first made a name for himself.
On the other side of the world, Lionel Messi agonizingly moved away from his boyhood club of 21 years. The emotions on display at his farewell were nothing short of waterworks. However, his dismay faded away upon his arrival at Paris, where his new club, Paris Saint Germain (PSG) awaited.
But what does the 2021 transfer window mean? When Cristiano moved from Real Madrid to Juventus, the latter gained 6 million social media followers while Real Madrid lost 1 million Twitter followers. All in a mere 24 hours. Fake fans if you ask me! However, who am I to deny the marketing powerhouse Cristiano is? His stature is further solidified by the fact that Juventus sold $60m worth of his jerseys in 24 hours of him joining. All this proves that with Cristiano, comes fans. This equates to higher viewership numbers, which translates to more sponsorship income, which can then be pumped back into the league for further improvement. Be that as it may, England’s Premier League is already the world’s most-watched league! Will Cristiano’s presence further the gap?
On the contrary, France’s Ligue 1 isn’t as popular. Many claim the league isn’t competitive enough, thus driving viewers away from watching it. Nonetheless, like Cristiano, Messi’s fan base will follow him to Ligue 1, driving viewership and doing all the aforementioned. This is a huge boost for the league to grow in popularity and is a major steroid injection into PSG’s Champions League aspirations and the French Football Federations marketing goals (no pun intended).
There’s more than meets the eye with Leo’s transfer though. Messi’s transfer benefits far more than just PSG. With the 2022 World Cup right around the corner, host country Qatar has secured their greatest promotional asset. Messi’s arrival couldn’t have been more favorable to “Qatar Sports Investment Group”, PSG’s owners. Amidst all the controversy around the host nation, this is the perfect distraction to put fans off accusing them of:
- Slavery allegations
- Qatar’s human rights record
- Possible bribery
- Political issues
- Lack of football history
- Inability to cope with World Cup stress
In conclusion, with Messi indirectly being used as a scapegoat, Qatar have bought themselves enough breathing room until World Cup 2022 commences. Football, however, can look forward to two of its greatest stars being tested yet again in new conditions. How do you think they’ll fare? Will you be tuning into a new league just to watch them play?