Taking the MLS by storm was one thing. Messi has placed his sights on Super Bowl LVIII.
The Inter Miami player, World Cup champion, and global soccer icon will star in a Super Bowl advertisement for Michelob Ultra, the brand announced Thursday. A preview for a 60-second spot shows Messi ordering a beer while walking to a bar, and his shock when the tap stops pouring.
The spot might cost around $14 million depending on 2023 advertising prices for Super Bowl XLVII.
Meanwhile, Messi and Inter Miami have embarked on the second leg of the clυb’s globetrotting preseason, and had a special birthday celebration on board for new addition Lis Sárez. On Wednesday, the ex-Barcelona striker turned 37. His teammates greeted him with a cake and sang ‘Happy Birthday’ in Spanish.
The Herons will play twice in Saudi Arabia next week, including a match against Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr on February 1. They have already played in El Salvador and Texas. The Super Bowl is on February 11 in Las Vegas, but it is unclear whether he will go.
Anheυser-Bυsch released a teaser for the ad Thυrsday. The spot coυld cost $14million
Lionel Messi is seen leering at a bar dυring a 60-second spot for Michelob Ultra
A bartender smiles back at Lionel Messi in a Super Bowl LVIII advertising for Michelob.
Messi’s collaboration with Michelob Ultra’s parent firm, Anheßer-Bisch, started in 2020. The Super Bowl spot is part of the beer’s significant investment in soccer. The advertisement follows the brand’s announcement as the worldwide beer sponsor for this summer’s Copa America.
Ultra is likely to partner with the men’s World Cup when it comes to the US, Canada, and Mexico in 2026, when Messi and Argentina try to defend their title.
Messi has partnered with major brands including Adidas, Gatorade, Hard Rock International, Royal Caribbean, and Apple TV. His social media presence is massive, with roughly 500 million Instagram followers.
Anheuser-Busch often spends millions on Super Bowl ads; last year’s game cost as much as $7 million for a 30-second spot, with corporations paying to appear on US advertising’s greatest platform and reach a projected audience of more than 100 million.
Lionel Messi smiled as he boarded a team flight to Saudi Arabia on Wednesday.
The beverage giant had a Michelob Ultra spot as part of last year’s Super Bowl line-up, also with a sports theme — it was set at Bushwood Country Club, the fictional country club in ‘Caddyshack,’ and starred tennis great Serena Williams, former Dallas Cowboys quarterback and current TV analyst Tony Romo, Miami Heat standout Jimmy Butler, golfer Rickie Fowler, soccer player Alex Morgan, and boxer Canelo Alvarez.
Messi is one of the greatest scorers in football history, having scored over 800 goals for club and country. He scored twice in the most recent World Cup final in 2022, which Argentina won against France on penalty kicks.
Messi is a former Champions League winner, Olympic gold medalist, and has won 44 trophies, the most in soccer history.