PSG Gained More Instagram Followers YESTERDAY Than Any NFL Team Has Total

This is one of those moments that makes you remember how much bigger soccer is than anything we have in the United States. Paris Saint-Germain gained more Instagram followers in one day (4.5 million) after Lionel Messi's signing than any team in the NFL has total — the Patriots lead the League with just under 4.4 million.

PSG now has more than 43 million total followers on IG, and that's not even half of teams like Real Madrid (102M) and Barcelona (100M). For reference, the New York Yankees have fewer than 3 million Instagram followers.

Even as someone who has come to really enjoy and follow soccer, numbers like that are astounding. Granted, this was spurred by one of the best players of all-time moving to a new club, but it's not like PSG was hurting before, either. I can't even imagine what the financial numbers are going to look like from the number of Messi shirts PSG sells in the first day, week and so on since he joined the club. I'm sure they will shatter all sorts of records.

We really need to step our game up in America, though. I would have guessed at least the Yankees were a big enough brand to put a dent in some of those soccer clubs, but it ain't even close.

If the Instagram followers and crowds at the Paris airport are any indication, people are about as fired up to see Messi play for PSG as you could imagine.