Watch: Lionel Messi stars in beer commercial for Super Bowl 58

Lionel Messi will be in front of the television screen for what is expected to be the largest U.S. audience that has seen him yet, and it won’t be in a soccer match.

The Inter Miami CF superstar will feature in an advertisement for Anheuser-Busch’s Michelob ULTRA beer during Sunday’s Super Bowl broadcast in the United States. The “Superior Beach” spot also features Emmy award-winning actor Jason Sudeikis, who stars in the Apple TV series Ted Lasso, and Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Marino in a pick-up soccer game on a South Florida beach.

Last year’s Super Bowl drew 113 million viewers in the United States and 12 of the previous 15 editions surpassed the 100M in viewership. By comparison, only 25.8 million in the U.S. tuned in to see Messi lead Argentina to victory in the 2022 FIFA World Cup Final.

This will be Messi’s first appearance in a Super Bowl advertisement campaign. Michelob ULTRA sponsors the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner and is the Official Global Beer Sponsor of this year’s Copa América USA 2024™.

“We’re thrilled to be partnering with one of the greatest athletes of all time on one of the biggest stages in sports for a campaign that perfectly aligns with our brand’s point of view,” said Ricardo Marques, Vice President of Marketing, Michelob ULTRA. “We have an exciting plan to connect with our audience in the weeks leading up to and around Super Bowl Sunday, while also using this moment to set up what we believe will be an electrifying year for Michelob ULTRA.”

Michelob ULTRA’s Super Bowl commercial was directed by Adam Berg and created by Wieden + Kennedy New York.

The price of airtime for Super Bowl Ads this year ranged from $6.5 million to $7 million, according to VARIETY.

Inter Miami CF will kick off the 2024 Major League Soccer season against Real Salt Lake on Wednesday, February 21 (8 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass).