The "Messi effect" dominates UE Cornellà’s social media

The Spanish club acquired by the Argentine star has seen its Instagram following multiply nearly 15 times over.

Prior to the official announcement last Friday, the club had around 40,000 followers on the social network; in just a few days, that figure has reached 628,000.

This new milestone represents a 1,470% increase, positioning UE Cornellà as the third most-followed Catalan club, trailing only FC Barcelona and Girona FC.

Messi’s new team now surpasses nine La Liga clubs in this metric: Real Oviedo, Elche, Rayo Vallecano, Espanyol, Getafe, Osasuna, Alavés, Levante, and Mallorca.

This is not the first time the "Messi Effect" has impacted one of his clubs: in 2025, he founded Deportivo LSM in Uruguay alongside Luis Suárez, which reached half a million followers in days to become the third most-followed club in the country behind Peñarol and Nacional.