Lionel Messi named Americans’ favourite athlete in new poll

Lionel Messi helped Inter Miami to an opening night victory in their first competitive fixture of 2024. The Herons got their MLS Cup pursuit off to a winning start and Messi was central to the victory, setting up Robert Taylor for the opening goal.

After making a stunning start to life in MLS last year all eyes will be on Messi for the 2024 campaign. He is, by far, the most famous player in the league and he retains the superstar talents that could lead Miami to the title.

His arrival in MLS is expected to spark a burst of interest in soccer and the impact of Miami move can already be seen. Lionel Messi has been named America’s favourite professional athlete, becoming the first soccer player to in the award.

The poll is held every quarter by Social Science Research Solutions (SSRS), a leading sports research group. Since 1994 SSRS’s Sports Poll has asked Americans for their favourite professional athlete and the results show how soccer has struggled for prominence in the past.

Last year Inter Miami co-owner Jorge Mas explained that the Messi purchase was designed to help boost soccer’s profile in the US: “We’ve succeeded. Expectations are something else, but we’ve succeeded. The fact that Lionel Messi is here, that Sergio Busquets is here, that others are going to come here, that we’re opening new chapters for the sport in this country, we’ve succeeded.”

Which other athletes have been Americans’ favourite?

Over the 30-year span of the poll, Messi is just their eighth athlete to top the list. Respondents are only asked to name their No. 1 Sportsperson, meaning that only the very biggest names can make it to the top.

For the first decade the award was dominated by Michael Jordan. The Chicago Bulls star won six NBA championships during his illustrious career and was, at one point, the favourite professional athlete of around one-in-five US Sports fans.

His dominance was broken in 2006 when Tiger Woods began his stint at the top of the rankings. Woods and Jordan are the only two athletes to enjoy a sustained period as Americans’ favourite athlete.

Woods was replaced by Peyton Manning, who then passed on the mantle to Kobe Bryant, Stephen Curry, LeBron James and Tom Brady. Throughout that time, however, Michael Jordan has regularly been ranked at No. 1.

Jordan’s enduring cultural significance - through his Air Jordan line and documentaries like ‘The Last Dance’ - has allowed him to remain one of America’s most popular athletes, two decades after his sporting retirement.

That’s the sort of long-lasting impact that Inter Miami are hoping to secure by bringing Lionel Messi to the league. MLS, Adidas and Apple were all involved in the deal, which involved an enormous financial outlay to tempt the World Cup winner to the US. They will hope that Messi, like Miami co-owner David Beckham, will remain involved with MLS far beyond his retirement.