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.