How Messi carried Adidas ahead of Nike in sportswear's media race

Adidas closed the first half of 2026 as the sportswear industry's most visible brand, generating 1.9 billion dollars in Media Impact Value (MIV) between January 1 and June 30, according to data from Launchmetrics. The figure represents a 12 percent increase over the second half of 2025 and places the German brand ahead of Nike, which recorded 1.7 billion dollars over the same period. But a closer look at the data reveals how much of that lead rests on a single name: Lionel Messi.

Four of Adidas' five highest-value placements in the first semester were posted by Messi himself, led by a top placement worth 2.7 million dollars in MIV — Launchmetrics’ MIV algorithm assigns a monetary figure to brand exposure across social media, online publications and print. The Argentine was also the brand's top-earning celebrity voice for the period, generating 14.4 million dollars, and his influence extends beyond his own channels. His wife, Antonela Roccuzzo, ranked among Adidas' top influencer voices with 5.3 million dollars in MIV, part of an Influencer category that grew 30 percent for the brand, its fastest-growing Voice of the semester.

This year's FIFA World Cup marks two decades since Messi's tournament debut in Germany in 2006, the same year he switched from Nike to Adidas. He later formalized his relationship with the latter brand through a lifetime contract in 2017.

The dependence cuts both ways. All five of Adidas' top placements for the semester were soccer-related, and with Messi, now 39, playing what is widely expected to be his final World Cup, the brand faces an open succession question once the tournament ends.

Nike, by contrast, spread its bets. Four of its five top placements were also soccer-related — the highest, worth 2 million dollars, tied to its "Rip the Script" World Cup film — but its fastest-growing voice was celebrity, up 37 percent, and its top name for the period was not a footballer. Tennis player Jannik Sinner generated 15.5 million dollars in MIV for the brand, ahead of Real Madrid's Vinicius Jr. at 10 million dollars, with Aryna Sabalenka also ranking in the top five at 7.5 million dollars.

A distant third

Puma, third in the ranking at 421 million dollars, tells a similar story of star dependence at a smaller scale. Three of its five top soccer-related placements came from Neymar Jr., while its fastest-growing voice was owned media, up 40 percent — led by Puma Football (24.4 million dollars) and Puma India (17.7 million dollars), a signal of where the brand sees its next audience. Unlike its larger rivals, Puma showed no June spike, suggesting the World Cup build-up largely passed it by.

The top 10 brands continued with New Balance closing behind Puma at 377 million dollars in MIV. Alo rounded out the top five with 249 million dollars, narrowly ahead of Lululemon at 228 million dollars and Gymshark at 205 million dollars. The North Face and Asics tied at 171 million dollars, taking eighth and ninth place respectively, while Reebok closed the top ten at 127 million dollars.