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Japanese Baseball two-way player Shohei Ohtani, who recently raised eyebrows with his Major League Baseball record-breaking $700 million, 10-year contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers, has surpassed the likes of football greats Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo to set a record for the highest number of jersey sales in 48 hours.
Ohtani, who is also known as the 'Japanese Babe Ruth,' recently signed the largest sports contract ever and will be officially introduced at a news conference on Thursday at Dodger Stadium’s Centerfield Plaza. The two-time AL MVP will be sporting a No.17 jersey at the Dodgers.
According to the sports clothing brand, Fanatics, the 29-year-old Japanese has surpassed two of the greatest football icons, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, as the athlete to sell the highest number of jerseys within the initial 48 hours of release in the United States. While Messi recorded the highest jersey sales from his arrival at MLS club Inter Miami, Ronaldo sold the highest number of shirts upon his return to Manchester United.
According to reports, the orders for Ohtani's new white-and-blue No. 17 shirt were so high that he doubled the previous record set by Messi. Apart from them, Ohtani also beat NFL star Justin Fields of the Chicago Bears and Philadelphia Phillies designated hitter Bryce Harper in MLB in jersey sales.
