MIAMI — Get ready to see, hear, and even smell Messi Mania as Argentine icon Lionel Messi and top-seeded Inter Miami kick off the MLS playoffs at home Friday night.

If you think Messi has been showing up in a lot of commercials and headlines all season, brace yourself. The Messi marketing push just went into overdrive with the launch of a Messi cologne, a Messi/Bad Bunny joint signature sneaker, a TikTok Messi Cam, and a Captain Messi superhero toy, which Hard Rock International unveiled on Tuesday.

It is a limited-edition, posable action figure, available with any Hard Rock Kid’s Menu order and through in-room dining at participating hotels while supplies last. Rock Shops worldwide and online will also carry the toy as part of a new retail collection complete with lunchboxes, water bottles, backpacks, and apparel.

“My kids and I love watching superhero movies together, so it was really special to work with Hard Rock to create Captain Messi,” said Messi, known to celebrate goals with superhero poses. “I hope it helps inspire young fans and families to work hard and believe in themselves to do great things.”

As part of the launch, Messi was scheduled to make a surprise appearance for families and special guests at Hard Rock Cafe at the company’s flagship Seminole Hard Rock Hollywood property.

The 37-year-old has been playing like a real-life super hero of late, including an 11-minute hat trick against New England on Saturday, raising his season total to 20 goals and 15 assists in 19 games, likely securing the league MVP award. He also scored a hat trick for Argentina last week in a World Cup qualifier against Bolivia.

He and his pink-clad teammates have become such must-see TV that their playoff opener Friday against the winner of the Atlanta United/CF Montreal wild-card game will be broadcast live in Times Square in the heart of New York City on the high-definition “Mega-Zilla,” a 78-foot by 330-foot screen that spans an entire city block on Broadway between 45th and 46th Streets.

The 8:30 p.m. ET game is available on Apple TV. Also, TikTok will stream an exclusive live Player Spotlight featuring Messi that night. A camera will be focused on Messi for the entire game and GOAT-centric stream will be available on the @MLS TikTok profile and simulcast on the @InterMiamiCF TikTok profile.

For fans who want to smell like Messi, he’s got you covered.

The Inter Miami captain a few weeks ago released his first fragrance, Messi Eau de Parfum, distributed by beauty industry company, Sheralven. Promotional material for the launch said: “scent features top notes of cardamom and wild cypress, contrasted by warm notes of leather and cedarwood with hints of vanilla … These warming ingredients are meant to evoke a sense of confidence and strength akin to Messi himself.”

The 3.4-ounce navy blue glass bottle with the Messi logo is packaged in sustainable materials and retails for $72 exclusively at JCPenney stores and at jcpenney.com. A special holiday gift set will be available for $88 and includes an 8.5-oz. body wash and Messi logo toiletry bag.

“I have always been passionate about fragrance, and I am extremely excited to produce my very own signature scent,” Messi said in the press release. “This is truly a unique and inspirational fragrance, in a personalized bottle, for all fans around the world.”

In the market for some new sneakers? Messi has you covered.

Adidas Originals announced this week a partnership between Messi and Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio, better known as Bad Bunny. The Bad Bunny & Messi Collection “celebrates the incredible connection between music and sport, two passions that unite fans across the world, and pays homage to the individual legacies of Bad Bunny and Messi, while cementing adidas’ role in culture,” read the press release.

Bad Bunny has long admired Messi, referencing the soccer superstar in his music, including five mentions in his latest album. Messi, meanwhile, revealed that seven songs by the Puerto Rican artist are included on his personal pregame playlist.

“Messi’s last name has become its own word, a synonym for greatness, courage and heart,” Bad Bunny said. “Watching him play with the passion he does is a privilege. I compare the love he feels for his country and his sport to the love I feel for music and Puerto Rico. Collaborating with him is an honor that so many people dream of and I never even imagined I could achieve it. Today, I feel so grateful to be able to represent our culture with the GOAT.”

Messi added: “This campaign celebrates our fans. Seeing people who follow me and support me does more than just inspire me, it makes me feel very grateful. Music is connected to many aspects of my life, and Bad Bunny is an artist who is never missing from my playlist.”

Inter Miami made history Saturday, breaking the MLS points record with 74 points with 22 wins, four losses and eight ties. In the process, the team, and Messi, are also having a massive financial impact on the league.

Inter Miami’s retro-inspired third aqua-and-orange kit (part of the adidas x MLS Archive Collection) became the fastest-selling kit in MLSstore.com’s history, recording the most sales in the first day, week, and month of any newly launched jersey in MLSstore.com history.

Messi ranks No. 1 on the list of top-selling MLS jerseys in the league and continues to rank No. 1 globally for adidas in jersey sales of individual players.

Also, Inter Miami has become the most followed North American sports team on TikTok (9.4M followers) and the 3rd most followed on Instagram (17.2 million followers).

Despite playing in just 19 of Miami’s 34 games due to injury and national team duty, Messi is a leading candidate to win MLS MVP. He leads the league with 36 goal contributions (20 goals, 16 assists) and did that playing only 56 percent of the games.

The Columbus Crew’s Cucho Hernandez has 19 goals and 14 assists in 33 games. Denis Bounga of the L.A. Galaxy has 20 goals and 11 assists in 31 games. Golden Boot winner Christian Benteke of D.C. United has 23 goals and seven assists in 30 games.

Miami midfielder Julian Gressel made the case for Messi: “If I could vote for him, I would, because for me, the MVP stands for the best player in the league, and Leo is that, by far.”

Note: At the Captain Messi event Tuesday, Hard Rock presented a $1 million check to Chef Jose Andres, Founder of World Central Kitchen, and Brad Keiserman, Senior VP of Disaster Response at the American Red Cross. The funds will support relief for those impacted by Hurricanes Helene and Milton.

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