will be one of the faces of the most expensive advertisements in the world in the grand final of American football

Lionel Messimonarch of the last World Cup and greatest icon of global football, will appear in an advertisement for Michelob Ultra during the Super Bowl LVIIIthe popular American beer brand revealed this Thursday.

A preview of what will be a 60-second commercial shows Messi ordering a beer as he enters a beachside bar. The footballer’s reaction is also shown when the beer stops flowing from the tap.

It will be the first time that Leo appears in a commercial during the Super Bowl, a fact that will increase the Argentine’s advertising impact in the United States and the rest of the world and that, in turn, will show the global reach of the Argentine star.

It is that, according to the information provided by ‘The Hollywood Reporter’chain CBS y Paramountin charge of the official broadcast of the popular NFL event that will take place on February 11 in Las Vegas, They ask for 7 million dollars for a 30-second ad.

The figure seems crazy, but it is justified if you take into account that the traditional Super Bowl, which this year will pit the winners of Baltimore Ravens vs Kansas City Chiefs y San Francisco 49ers vs Detroit Lions, which will star in the conference finals this Sunday, has a very high audience. For example, last year 115 million people watched it on television and around 10 million through streaming platforms.

This is why in previous years, well-known Hollywood figures such as Bradley Cooper, who starred in a T-Mobile commercial alongside his mother, or Sylvester Stallone, whose figure was used to promote the Paramount Global + streaming service.

“Having the greatest of all time, Lionel Messi, and the Super Bowl stage to kick off the year in an explosive way is something we are incredibly excited about,” commented Ricardo Marqués, vice president of marketing for Michelob Ultra, in an interview with The Associated Press.

“Messi needs no introduction. The power he has and the impact his arrival in Miami had on the world of football make it clear to us that he is now a cultural symbol,” added Marqués.

In this way, Messi will conquer the other football. He will share the bill, for example, with the American singer Usher, who will be in charge of offering the famous halftime show. It will be the second appearance at this event for the 45-year-old artist, who previously accompanied the Black Eyed Peas at Super Bowl XLV.