Lionel Messi news: Superstar's brand surpasses Real Madrid in China as AFA launch online store

What is the story?

Argentine Football Association (AFA) opened their first online shop for the Chinese market a few days back and now, with the help of Lionel Messi’s name, they have broken all the selling records.

According to Catalan daily SPORT, Messi’s name has helped to overtake sales of Real Madrid and Manchester City.

In case you didn’t know….

Barcelona ace Messi has been in his scintillating best throughout the course of the season. With 45 goals in all competitions across Europe, Messi is the main reason behind Barcelona’s quest to lift their third potential treble.

The five-time Ballon d’Or winner is leading La Liga Golden Boot race with 33 goals in the league in just 29 appearances. He is also well on course to lift his 10th league crown, with Barca being nine points clear at the top of the table with just four games remaining.

Meanwhile, in the Champions League, the Barcelona captain has already netted 10 times in just 8 matches, the highest in the competiiton, and he is looking hungrier than ever to help his team lift the trophy for the sixth time. Messi will be looking to add to his already incredible tally of 24 goals against Premier League teams in the Champions League when Barcelona will face Liverpool in the semi-finals.

The heart of the matter…

As per SPORT, AFA’s newly opened online shop for the Chinese market has broken all the previous records, thanks to their Messi.

The Argentine Federation opened their first online merchandise shop in China to sell their official products on 15th of April, and within three days, it has overtaken the monthly sales of previously established shops of different European heavyweights, including Real Madrid and Manchester City.

Before the launching of AFA products in China, both Real Madrid and Manchester City dominated the Chinese market, but in recent days Messi’s name has helped the AFA to sell their products at a really fast rate.

AFA have already sold 771 items, while Real Madrid and Manchester City have sold only 417 and 251 items respectively last month.