The greatest award in world football has been won by Lionel Messi. Now he will be a part of the biggest day in American football.
The World Cup winner, international soccer icon, and star of Inter Miami will be the focus of a Michelob Ultra Super Bowl commercial, the company revealed on Thursday. A 60-second preview of the commercial features Messi approaching a seaside tavern, ordering a beer, and his shock when the tap stops running.
It will be Messi’s first Super Bowl ad and broadens his enormous global and American advertising reach. The game is in Las Vegas on February 11.
Vice President of Marketing at Ultra, Ricardo Marques, told The Associated Press, “Having the GOAT himself, Lionel Messi, and the Super Bowl as a stage to kick it all off and start the year with a bang, that gets us incredibly fired up.” “There’s no need to introduce Missi. Given his strength and the influence he brought to Miami, the soccer community, and other areas, he is undoubtedly a cultural figure at the moment.
2020 saw the start of Messi’s collaboration with Anheuser-Busch InBev, the parent firm of Michelob Ultra. A portion of the beer’s substantial soccer investment is the Super Bowl spot. The commercial comes after the company was announced as the worldwide beer sponsor of the Copa América this summer.
Additionally, it is anticipated that Ultra will collaborate with the men’s World Cup when it is held in the United States, Canada, and Mexico in 2026 as Messi’s Argentina looks to retain its title.
When all is considered, Marques stated, “it is obvious that we have a very exciting road ahead of us in the context of soccer.”
With major companies like Adidas, Gatorade, Hard Rock International, Royal Caribbean, and Apple TV collaborating with him, Messi is a marketing fantasy. His following on Instagram is close to 500 million, making him a huge social media influencer.
Anheuser-Busch regularly spends millions on Super Bowl advertisements; for the game this year, firms paid as much as $7 million for a 30-second spot in hopes of reaching the anticipated viewership of over 100 million. This is the biggest stage for advertising in the United States.
In the previous year’s Super Bowl, the beverage giant featured a Michelob Ultra spot with a sports theme. The spot was set at Bushwood Country Club, the fictional country club featured in “Caddyshack,” and featured tennis great Serena Williams, Tony Romo, a TV analyst and former Dallas Cowboys quarterback, Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler, golfer Rickie Fowler, soccer player Alex Morgan, and boxer Canelo Álvarez.
Messi is one of the top scorers in history with over 800 goals for both clubs and his nation. In the 2022 World Cup final, he scored twice as Argentina defeated France on penalty kicks.
Messi has participated in 44 trophy victories, which is thought to be the most in soccer history, and has won the Champions League four times. He has also won an Olympic gold medal.
“Fans from all walks of life are drawn to the pitch by his artistry,” Marques remarked. “For this reason, we’re thrilled about Lionel Messi, his collaboration, and the direction American soccer is taking.”