” This is the icing on the cake ! “ At the prospect of seeing Lionel Messi evolve at Paris-Saint-Germain, Florent Corre is jubilant. The communications manager of the Stade Brestois is convinced that his club, like the whole of Ligue 1 football, would benefit from the arrival of the Argentinian. “Hosting PSG is already a great event. With Neymar, Mbappé and Ramos in addition to Messi, this will put the spotlight on the city ”, develops the Brest leader.
The figures prove him right: Brest’s last match against PSG, on May 23, attracted 2.6 million viewers in 158 countries. Without comparison with the 51,000 of Brest-Montpellier, a week earlier.
Should we expect to see this figure increase, Friday, August 20, during a Brest-PSG which could make the Francis-Le Blé stadium the lair of the beginnings of “la Pulga” (“the chip”, the nickname Messi)? Four years earlier, Brittany had already been in the spotlight for a Guingamp-PSG, Neymar’s first match in France. With a strong audience to the key for Canal +, then the championship broadcaster, and an attendance record broken at the Roudourou stadium.
“A runoff at the margin”
Past the curiosity of the first minutes of Lionel Messi in Ligue 1, the economic impact of this transfer on the other clubs in the championship is less certain. “We will observe a runoff at the margin, slice Jean-Pascal Gayant, sports economist at the University of Maine. This will increase interest around PSG, boost attendance at the Parc des Princes and outside. But the matches were already sold out without Messi. Apart from a slight increase in ticket prices, the stakes will be minor. “
In 2019-2020, the last season played with the public, before the closed session and then the reduced gauges imposed by the Covid-19 epidemic, the Ligue 1 stadiums showed a 92% fill rate when the PSG moved. “Ticket office receipts only represent a small percentage of club revenue”, adds Luc Arrondel, economist at the CNRS.
Despite everything, this transfer, like that of Neymar in 2017, will increase media attention around the clubs. “It’s a good thing for all French clubs, advances Laurent Nicollin, president of Montpellier HSC. A player like him can only speed up sales. It will be beneficial, for example, for international rights ” television broadcasting.
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