At the final match of the Qatar World Cup in 2022, Dan Jamieson had to explain himself. The Liverpool native was wearing an England jersey, confusing those around him as to why he was supporting Argentina in its showdown against France. But as the CEO of Icons Memorabilia, the answer was tied to one very specific outcome—Lionel Messi raising the trophy.
Icons Memorabilia has worked with Messi for 20 years, having signed the global soccer star in 2006 when he was still a teenager. The company has since sold countless products with the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner’s signature on them, and interest in Messi around the Qatar tournament helped fuel its best result to date. Jamieson told Sportico that the 2022 World Cup “conservatively” drove between $8 million and $10 million in sales across all of its products, which isn’t limited to a single athlete.
Four years later, the Messi effect is only getting stronger. The 39-year-old has led Argentina to the World Cup’s round of 16 and his seven goals have put him in a dead heat with Norway’s Erling Haaland and France’s Kylian Mbappé for the Golden Boot trophy. That success on the pitch has boosted the already powerful halo effect Messi generates for his deep bench of brand partners, including Icons Memorabilia, which is flirting with an even better outcome this time around.
