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Lionel Messi is one of the greatest football players of all time. The Argentine striker has dominated the sport for over 15 years, breaking countless records and winning dozens of trophies for Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain and the Argentine national team.
With his elite talents and massive global popularity, Messi has amassed an enormous net worth from his salaries, endorsements, investments and businesses. He was ranked the second highest-paid athlete in the world by Forbes, earning $130 million.
Let’s take an in-depth look at how Messi has accumulated his wealth, both on and off the pitch.
Net Worth: $600 Million
The majority of Messi’s wealth comes from his salaries and bonuses as a football player. He was the world’s highest-paid footballer during his peak years at Barcelona, with his salary reaching $180 million per season in the last five years..
Endorsements account for around $400 million of Messi’s career earnings. He has had a lifetime sponsorship deal with Adidas almost twenty years ago. His current Inter Miami salary is $12m million per season.
In addition to his playing contracts and endorsements, Messi has earned tens of millions from investments and business ventures like his retail stores and clothing line.
Overall, Messi ranks among the richest active team sport athletes in the world, behind only NFL quarterback Tom Brady (worth $333 million) and NBA legends LeBron James ($1 billion) and Michael Jordan ($2.1 billion).
Let’s take a closer look at where Messi’s massive career earnings have come from.
Football Salaries: $700+ Million
The lion’s share of Messi’s net worth can be attributed to his salaries and bonuses from football clubs. According to totals reported by Spanish newspaper El Mundo, Messi earned over €1 billion ($1.15 billion) during his 17 seasons playing for Barcelona. This includes:
- $672 million in total salary payments
- $385 million in bonuses and benefits
When Messi signed his first professional contract with Barcelona in 2000 at age 13, he received a $1,500 per month salary.
In 2017, Messi signed a massive new Barcelona contract that paid him $168 million in annual base salary, the richest deal in football history. The four-year deal was worth over $670 million in salary and bonuses.
After leaving Barcelona in 2021, Messi signed a two-year Paris Saint-Germain contract worth $75 million in annual base salary. In 2023, he joined David Beckham’s MLS club Inter Miami on a 3.5 year deal worth up to $150 million.
Over his entire playing career thus far, Lionel Messi has earned well over $700 million in total salaries and bonuses from Barcelona, PSG and Inter Miami. And at just 36, his career earnings will continue rising in the coming years.
Endorsements: $400+ Million
On top of his massive football paychecks, Lionel Messi earns over $40 million per year from endorsement deals with major brands.
Messi signed a lifelong sponsorship deal with sportswear company Adidas in 2006. He is Adidas’ lead brand endorser and the face of their flagship Adidas Messi football boots. Details of the lifetime deal haven’t been revealed, but it’s likely worth hundreds of millions.
The star striker has had endorsement deals with Pepsi since 2010 and Gillette since 2007. He has also represented Turkish Airlines, Ooredoo, Gatorade, Konami, Mastercard, Lay’s Chips, Socios.com and more over the years.
Forbes estimated Messi earned $65 million from sponsors in 2022. His endorsement earnings have likely surpassed $400 million in total over his career thus far.
As he enters the final phase of his playing days with Inter Miami, Messi’s appeal to brands remains sky-high. He was ranked the second most famous athlete in the world behind Cristiano Ronaldo.
Businesses and Investments
Aside from football salaries and sponsorships, Lionel Messi has earned tens of millions from his business ventures and investments:
Real Estate
Messi owns over $20 million in luxury properties around the world, including apartments in Barcelona, a villa in Mallorca, an apartment in Miami, and homes in his hometown of Rosario, Argentina.
Not too long ago, he purchased an entire apartment complex near Barcelona’s Camp Nou stadium valued at over $30 million.
The Messi Store
Messi opened his first retail outlet, The Messi Store, located in Beijing, China. More locations in China and beyond are set to follow.
The store sells Messi-branded sportswear and merchandise. Messi also launched his own clothing line through the store in during the pandemic..
Crypto and NFT Investments
Messi signed an endorsement deal with Socios.com to release exclusive NFTs and fan tokens. His first NFT drop on Socios sold for over $1.1 million.
He has invested in other crypto ventures including the blockchain platform Dego Finance and NFT marketplace Ethernity.
MiM Hotels
A few years back, Messi invested in MiM Hotels which plans to build lifestyle hotels around the world designed for young travelers. Locations will be near Messi’s club teams like Barcelona, Paris and Miami.
With Messi’s global popularity, his business ventures have major potential to keep expanding his wealth after he retires from football in the coming years.
Charity Work
Throughout his career, Lionel Messi has always made time for charity work to help children in need around the world:
- Messi founded his own charity over 15 years ago, the Leo Messi Foundation, which provides education and health care for vulnerable youth in Argentina, Spain and elsewhere.
- He has been a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, campaigning for children’s rights globally.
- In 2020, Messi donated €1 million to hospitals for coronavirus relief in Barcelona and Argentina.
- For his June 2017 wedding, Messi asked guests to donate to his foundation instead of giving gifts. The donations raised over $480,000.
- To date, Messi’s foundation has donated over $10 million to support projects including medical research, scholarships, sport training programs and more.
- Messi has also given his time and money to causes supporting hospital patients, people with disabilities, homeless youth, and underfunded children’s soccer clubs.
Lionel Messi’s charitable impact off the pitch is as impressive as his game on it. By all accounts, he leads a relatively low-key lifestyle focused on football and family.
Personal Life and Other Details
- Born on June 24, 1987 in Rosario, Argentina. Has two older brothers, a sister and close cousins who he grew up playing football with.
- Moved to Barcelona, Spain at age 13 to join FC Barcelona’s youth academy after the club offered to pay his medical bills for a growth hormone deficiency. Became a Spanish citizen in 2005.
- Has been in a relationship with Antonella Roccuzzo since 2008. They have three sons together: Thiago (2012), Mateo (2015) and Ciro (2018).
- Remains close to his hometown of Rosario. He has a tattoo of his mother Celia’s face on his left shoulder.
- Enjoys time off playing with his kids, watching films and TV shows like Game of Thrones and La Casa de Papel, playing the guitar, and dining out with Antonella.
- Has over 600 million total social followers – 116 million on Facebook and 489 million on Instagram. Ranks second globally behind Cristiano Ronaldo.
- His discipline, quiet leadership style and humble personality have earned immense respect from teammates, coaches and opponents alike.
Outlook and Future Potential
Now in the later phase of his illustrious playing career at age 36, Lionel Messi shows no signs of slowing down. He remains motivated to keep performing at an elite level in MLS with Inter Miami while boosting the growth of his global brand.
With his Inter Miami contract worth up to $150 million over 3.5 years, Messi is guaranteed to surpass $800 million in career football earnings by 2026. Endorsements and business ventures should net him well over $100 million more by then.
Barring a catastrophic career-ending injury, Lionel Messi appears to be on an unstoppable march toward billionaire athlete status within the next decade.
The soccer icon has earned his extraordinary wealth through a one-of-a-kind combination of generational talent, work ethic, sustained excellence, and likable personality. His net worth is a testament to achieving greatness in the world’s most popular sport. The only player in the near future we think will surpass Messi’s achievements is Mbappé, let’s wait and see.
