The Messi effect 3.0

August 25, 2020 may be a historic date in world football. After more than 20 years of relationship, Lionel Messi communicated to Barcelona his desire to leave. Faced with the current leadership and without a sports project that would put him back among the top teams in Europe, the Argentine would seek other directions.

But beyond all that is seen behind this decision, Messi's statement generated a record interaction on the internet. The word "Lionel Messi" surpassed a "coronavirus" as the most sought after globally. On a scale of 0 to 100, searches for the Argentine's name went from 8 to 86 in just two hours.

As for social networks, historical movements were also recorded. For example, Lionel Messi increased his followers on Instagram, reaping 2 million in two hours, and surpassing Jennifer Aniston as the person who added the most Followers in the least time. And more than 3.4 million tweets were written about him on twitter.

The tsunami that caused Messi's decision not only kept Barcelona fans in suspense but the entire world. Through the possibility of reaching the other side of the world in just one click, football proves, once again, that it is the sport with the most interference on the planet.