There is lots of conjecture online surrounding the net worth of legendary Argentine football star, Lionel Messi. Various publications have Messi’s market value priced differently.
According to Forbes, Messi has a net worth of just $135 million, which feels incredibly low considering he was earning $168 million a year in wages – before incentives – during his time at Barcelona. In addition, he’s being paid just over $1 million a week at his new club, Major League Soccer (MLS) franchise Inter Miami, which is worth $216 million over the course of his four-year contract. It’s said that Messi’s contract also has a revenue-sharing deal between him and Apple. In essence, he takes a cut of all subscriptions for the MLS Season Pass, since many new viewers will only be tuning in to catch Messi in full flight.
Messi and Inter Miami are on course to compete for major silverware this season if the latest sports betting odds are to be believed at Unibet. This licensed sportsbook has Inter Miami priced as 17/10 favorites to lift the 2024 MLS Cup, which would help to justify Messi’s decision to leave European football for America.
No matter whether Messi wins the MLS Cup this year or not, we’re more inclined to believe Marca’s estimate of the Argentine’s net worth this year. They state that his net worth stands at $650 million.
Exploring Lionel Messi’s current endorsements and commercial interests
Messi has a string of sponsorship deals and endorsements which bring in substantial revenue. His latest deal was announced in 2022 with football fan engagement app, Socios, which pays him around $20 million a year to be the face of the platform.
In total, his combined earnings from endorsements alone is said to break the $33 million mark. This includes his ongoing relationship with Pepsi, as well as his big-money deal with Adidas, and other partnerships with Gatorade, Turkish Airlines, and Gillette. He’s also featured in television advertisement campaigns for high-end brands like Louis Vuitton through the years.
In 2023, a leaked document revealed Messi had also signed up to the “Saudi Tourism Deal”, which could earn the Argentine a further $25 million a year providing he meets certain criteria. This includes taking and publicising an annual vacation in Saudi Arabia, publishing a minimum of ten social posts promoting the country and taking part in annual tourism marketing campaigns which will have been captured on the most expensive cameras on the planet, no doubt.
Messi is also said to have several notable assets to his name. Not least the $2 million property he acquired in Pedrables, a neighbourhood of Barcelona. Today, that property is now expected to be worth upwards of $10 million. It’s highly likely that Messi will have funds tied up in cryptocurrency too. He partnered with a company called Ethernity, which specialises in non-fungible tokens (NFTs) based around football icons.
Despite winning the 2022 FIFA World Cup with Argentina for the first time, it’s clear Messi still has plenty of talent left in his legs at the age of 37. In 18 appearances for Inter Miami, he’s scored 13 goals, which is a significantly better tally than the 22 goals he mustered in 58 games for French giants Paris Saint-Germain after leaving Barcelona. It could have been so different for Messi after being forced to leave Barca for financial reasons. It was recently revealed that Messi had a six-hour-long discussion with Manchester City boss, Pep Guardiola, over the prospect of joining City and playing in the English Premier League.
The past is the past though and, in the present, he’s breaking MLS records left, right, and centre right now. In May, he registered the greatest number of assists completed in a single MLS fixture with five. If he can end the 2024 season with some MLS silverware, he’ll become even more decorated players to have transcended professional football on both sides of the Atlantic.