Messi has joined the club of billionaire athletes

Soccer player Lionel Messi's fortune has exceeded $1 billion, Bloomberg reports. Since 2007, the 38-year-old forward earned more than $700 million in salaries and bonuses, according to the agency's calculations. Taking into account taxes, return on investment and deductions from sponsorship contracts, he became one of the richest athletes in the world and joined his longtime rival - Cristiano Ronaldo. The latter became the first billionaire soccer player after joining Saudi Arabian club Al-Nasr in 2023.

Messi turned down an offer to play in the Saudi Pro League in 2022 with a potential income of about $400 million a year and instead moved to Inter Miami, Bloomberg recalls. The contract of the player is until the end of 2028 and provides a salary of $70-80 million annually, said in an interview with the agency the owner of the club Jorge Mas.

The deal with the American club also included an option to buy a stake in the team. However, it is unknown whether Messi took advantage of this opportunity, writes Bloomberg. That said, the value of Inter Miami continues to rise. By February 2026, it has risen in value over the year by more than 20% - to about $1.45 billion, becoming the most expensive soccer team in the United States, notes Sportico. Before Messi's move, the club was valued at $585 million, a 147% increase, Fox Sports notes.

The move to the United States also opened up new, more unconventional ways of earning money, Bloomberg writes. During contract negotiations, the American soccer league and Apple discussed a revenue-sharing agreement in which Messi would receive a share of sales of new subscriptions to the Apple TV+ MLS Season Pass streaming package, The Athletic reported. The owner of Inter Miami claimed that the number of subscribers to the service doubled in the months following the player's move. Bloomberg could not independently confirm the financial details of Messi's agreement with Apple.

Messi is also actively developing his own business. In December 2024, he placed on a small Spanish stock exchange real estate fund Edificio Rostower Socimi worth €232 million. The company owns several hotels and other facilities, specifies Bloomberg. The footballer is also expanding his presence in the consumer goods market. In 2024, he launched a sports drink Más+ by Ma, and in 2025 - invested in the Argentine restaurant chain El Club de la Milanesa.

This article was AI-translated and verified by a human editor