Lionel Messi is on course to become the richest athlete of all time – unless Kylian Mbappe gets in the way, of course.
World Cup winner Messi was accepted into MLS hearts after scoring a quite wonderful free-kick to hand Inter Miami a victory over Cruz Azul. Messi turned down a lucrative offer from Saudi Arabia, reportedly worth around $500m per season, to join David Beckham’s franchise.
While his deal at the DRV PNK Stadium is understood to be between $50m and $60m, there are multiple other business incentives thrown in to sweeten the deal.
As the dollars continue to flow into the Barcelona legend’s bank account, Daily Star Sport considers five of his smartest business decisions.
Snubbing Saudi Arabia for Inter Miami
Messi scored a wonderful free-kick on his Inter Miami debut (Image: AP)
Considering Saudi Arabian clubs are handing players yearly salaries equivalent to some nations’ national debts, you would be surprised to hear Messi’s bold decision to snub the Middle East for the United States will likely earn him more money. As well as the aforementioned yearly contract he is scoring, Miami CEO Jorge Mass confirmed Messi will receive shares in Inter Miami once he retires, as well as a cut of the MLS global rights broadcast on Apple TV and the team’s kit sales.
To give you an idea of the earning potential, Messi shirt sales have already eclipsed $100m and will likely earn even more the longer he remains at the club. While the yearly salary in the States was dwarfed by that of Saudi, the long term benefits and incentives ensured he will always be earning in the long term.
Endorsements…and lots of them!
Budweiser is one of many other brands who endorse Messi (Image: leomessi/Instagram)
As well as being a wonderful footballer, Messi is a walking, talking and breathing advertisement board. He receives more than $50m per year from endorsements alone.
Lay’s, Apples, Pepsi, Budweiser, and Hard Rock Cafe are just some of the major companies who endorse the 36-year-old. This is not even including the lifetime contract he signed with Adidas – but we’ll come to that later.
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The Messi Store
Messi’s clothing brand may not have quite reached the funds of his other investments, but it is certainly ticking along nicely (Image: themessistore/Instagram)
Throughout their time in La Liga, Messi was always seemingly in a one-on-one contest with Cristiano Ronaldo. So it should be no surprise the Argentine launched his own clothing and underwear brand in 2019.
It’s believed to record an annual revenue of around $5m. He may not have reached the same heights as his fiercest rival’s ‘CR7’ brand as yet, but it is only heading in one direction.
Real estate empire
Most sports athletes look to diversify their investments by entering the real estate industry. However, Messi’s portfolio is not close to most sports athletes.
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The Little Magician owns a ski resort in Andorra, multiple personal homes, a 77-bedroom hotel in Sitges and various hotels in Ibiza and Mallorca. This is not even including his jaw-dropping £5m apartment in Miami – according to some estimations, Messi’s real estate empire is worth around $30m.
Lifetime contract with Adidas
Messi is one of the faces of Adidas (Image: leomessi/Instagram)
Messi is to Adidas what Michael Jordan is to Nike. In 2017, Messi signed a lifetime deal with the German sports brand.
His association with Adidas is worth a whopping $25m annually. It is estimated he will earn a staggering $1bn from the iconic sports brand.
