Football: Why Michael Jordan is the big winner in Lionel Messi's move to Paris Saint-Germain

Lionel Messi holds his jersey after the announcement that he will be joining PSG. Photo / AP

The pandemic hasn't been financially kind to retired basketball superstar Michael Jordan.

But the mega-rich sporting legend has had a reversal of fortune thanks to footballer Lionel Messi's move from Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain.

Jordan was the biggest name in sport during his heyday and he is now heavily linked to his current heir to that title.

Jordan, a sub-brand of Nike, formed a sponsorship agreement with PSG three years ago. His logo is on the PSG shirt and he gets a five per cent cut of sales meaning he has already scooped $10m since Messi's arrival.

Michael Jordan. Photo / Getty

There has been a staggering demand for Messi's No. 30 PSG jersey, the replicas taking just half an hour to sell out online. There were also ridiculously long queues outside the official club shop, and a Spanish outlet reported 150,000 Messi shirts sold in seven minutes.

PSG - a club hell-bent on becoming a major European force - have already earned $200m from the Messi signing. It is estimated 2.5 million shirts will be sold over the season.

PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi said people would be "shocked" by the revenues already generated by Messi's signature.

Jordan took the earning potential for athletes to a whole new level in his playing days. But when Covid-19 was raging, the Jordan brand shed 24 per cent of its value, his net worth dropping from $3.06b to $2.33b.