Messi joins billionaire athletes club after crossing USD 1 billion net worth threshold
Key takeaways
- Argentine footballer Lionel Messi, 38, has crossed the USD 1 billion net worth threshold and joined the exclusive group of billionaire athletes, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
- Money has never been a problem for me, nor an obstacle in anything.
- His wealth accumulation reflects a novel trend within elite sport, where large fortunes have traditionally been built through investments outside the field of play.
Why this matters: an international story with cross-border implications worth tracking.
Argentine footballer Lionel Messi, 38, has crossed the USD 1 billion net worth threshold and joined the exclusive group of billionaire athletes, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. The captain of the Argentine national team, world champion in Qatar 2022 and winner of eight Ballons d'Or, now shares the category with his historic sporting rival, Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo, who reached the milestone in 2023 after signing with Al-Nassr of the Saudi Pro League.
Messi has accumulated more than USD 700 million in salaries and bonuses since his professional debut in 2007, according to the information compiled by Bloomberg, in addition to market returns, sponsorship revenues, real estate investments, and his stake in a restaurant chain. The commercial management of his career has historically been led by his father, Jorge Messi, and has consolidated particularly in recent years, narrowing the historic gap with Cristiano Ronaldo, whose commercial profile has traditionally been more active in global marketing.
The forward, who left FC Barcelona in August 2021 because of the Catalan club's financial troubles to sign with Paris Saint-Germain and, two years later, with Major League Soccer's Inter Miami, turned down an offer valued at USD 400 million per year from Saudi football after the Qatar World Cup. Money has never been a problem for me, nor an obstacle in anything. If it had been about money, I would have gone to Saudi Arabia or anywhere else, the player said in a 2023 interview with the Spanish daily Mundo Deportivo. His agreement with the US franchise includes an option to acquire an equity stake in the club, co-owned by former English footballer David Beckham. Inter Miami's valuation increased by more than 20% over the past year, reaching close to USD 1.45 billion, according to the specialized firm Sportico.