Major League Soccer (MLS) has rarely been bereft of high-profile figures since David Beckham took the plunge and joined LA Galaxy in 2007.

The likes of Andrea Pirlo, Thierry Henry, Steven Gerrard, David Villa and Zlatan Ibrahimović have all ventured across the Atlantic during the twilight of their respective careers, but none were able to strike a chord in front of an American audience quite like Lionel Messi.

And understandably so. Messi, in the eyes of the majority, is the greatest soccer player who’s ever lived. He’s served as the figurehead of Beckham’s franchise, Inter Miami, since 2023, and has helped reignite soccer’s relevance in the United States.

Messi’s arrival has been a commercial, financial and on-field success for not just Miami, but MLS as a whole. The 39-year-old proved at the North American-hosted World Cup that his otherworldly powers haven’t yet waned, and he’s unlikely to cease dazzling audiences until his contract with the Herons expires in 2028.

Messi’s influence means MLS is more star-studded than ever, to the point where the Argentine’s commercial monopoly over the division is coming under threat.

Lionel Messi Tops MLS Jersey Sales But Robert Lewandowki’s Impact Clear

MLS has disclosed its 10 best-selling jerseys of 2026, with Messi topping the charts for a fourth consecutive year.

He’s followed by LAFC’s Son Heung-min, who departed Tottenham Hotspur last summer in favor of sunny California. Bayern Munich stalwart Thomas Müller also left Europe last year to move to MLS, joining the Vancouver Whitecaps. The German’s jersey has been the third-most popular this year, having helped the Whitecaps reach the MLS Cup final just months after his arrival.

Müller has since welcomed former Bayern teammate Robert Lewandowski to North America, with the Pole, recognized as one of the finest strikers of his generation, signing for the Chicago Fire in late June following an illustrious career in Europe with Borussia Dortmund, Bayern and Barcelona.

Lewandowski has scored seven times in 18 appearances for the Fire, who have secured a playoff berth in the Eastern Conference. While he occupies fourth spot in the jersey sales ranking for 2026, MLS confirmed that no player has sold more than Lewandowski since he signed for the Fire. He may be helped by the fact that, according to the latest estimates, more than 182,000 Polish Americans currently live in Chicago, making up 6.7% of the city’s population.

Antoine Griezmann has been similarly popular, with the Frenchman agreeing to sign for Orlando City in March.

Messi’s Miami teammates, Luis Suárez and Rodrigo De Paul, have also made the top 10, as have USMNT hotshot Cavan Sullivan, LAFC’s Denis Bouanga and Nashville SC’s Hany Mukhtar.

MLS’ Top Selling Jerseys of 2026

Have Messi and Lewandowski Ever Crossed Paths?

Messi had already bid an emotional farewell to Barcelona by the time Lewandowski rocked up in Catalonia. The Argentine departed his long-time club in 2021 due to its troubled finances, but Joan Laporta’s lever-pulling aided them in the short term and allowed Barça to sign Lewandowski from Bayern in a $51 million deal the following summer.

The veteran striker was no Messi, of course, but he certainly shone with the Blaugrana. He spent four seasons in Spain, scoring 120 goals in 193 games for Barcelona and winning three La Liga titles.

That was the closest the two players came to working in tandem, but they have met head-to-head on several occasions over the years. The Fire’s MLS duel with Messi’s Miami in September was their fourth meeting at club level, with both players enjoying two victories over the other.

Lewandowski notched the most memorable triumph: an 8–2 rout of Messi’s Barça in the 2019–20 Champions League quarterfinals—a match so infamous it has its own Wikipedia page. However, Messi has scored a World Cup victory over Lewandowski’s Poland, with Argentina claiming a 2–0 victory in the group stage of the tournament in Qatar.