Who will win the 'rich race' between Messi and Ronaldo?

Messi became the second football player in history to earn $1 billion after Ronaldo. What's remarkable isn't the number itself, but the path he chose to achieve this fortune.

Messi has just joined the "billionaire club" alongside Ronaldo. Photo: @leomessi/Instagram .

According to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, Lionel Messi's net worth is estimated to exceed $1 billion . Since 2007, the Argentine football superstar has earned approximately $700 million in base salary and bonuses from clubs such as Barcelona, ​​PSG, and Inter Miami.

This milestone helps "El Pulga" enter the list of global billionaire athletes, standing alongside the richest sports icons of all time such as Michael Jordan ( $4.3 billion ), LeBron James ( $1.4 billion ), Tiger Woods ( $1.5 billion ) and Roger Federer ( $1.1 billion ), according to the Forbes Billionaires List 2026.

This event also triggered an unprecedented phenomenon in the history of global sports. Just a few days earlier, former English football star David Beckham had also joined The Times' list of billionaires. This makes Inter Miami the only club in the world to have both its owner (Beckham) and superstar player (Messi) as billionaires.

Beyond those staggering statistics, what truly captures fans' attention is the journey that led the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner to reach this milestone.

Choose stocks instead of cash.

Looking at Forbes ' ranking of the highest-earning football players in 2026, Cristiano Ronaldo still maintains the world's highest income (approximately $200-215 million per year at Al Nassr through base salary), not including massive commercial contracts. Lionel Messi is more modest in the next position with $140 million .

However, the annual income figures don't fully reflect the actual rate of wealth growth that helped Messi surpass the $1 billion mark. The biggest difference lies in the business mindset and cash flow management of the two superstars.

While Ronaldo represents the pinnacle of the personal franchise model – maximizing the value of his personal brand to secure massive cash contracts directly from Gulf states or major brands, combined with his own brand ecosystem ranging from beverages to gym chains – Messi is the master of the long-term revenue-sharing mechanism.

Messi in the Inter Miami jersey - the club that marked a crucial financial turning point that made him a billionaire. Photo: @leomessi/Instagram.

When he moved to the US to join Inter Miami, the Argentinian forward accepted a significantly lower base salary than the hundreds of millions of dollars offered by clubs in the Middle East. In return, his compensation structure was directly linked to major technology and retail companies.

Messi receives a percentage of the revenue from MLS Season Pass subscriptions on Apple TV, a cut of the global Adidas jersey sales revenue, and, notably, an option to own shares in Inter Miami after retirement.

It was the "Messi effect" that drove the club's valuation skyrocketing to $1.45 billion , turning his future stake into a real goldmine.

In addition, Messi owns Play Time Sports-Tech HoldCo LLC, a San Francisco-based investment and sports technology company, 525 Rosario, a media production company, and Más+ by Messi, a sports drink brand. He doesn't just work for brands; he owns his own supply chain.

The secret billionaire and the "boring dad"

While Ronaldo typically spends directly on expensive luxury villas stretching from Madeira and Madrid to Riyadh, Messi's spending and investment portfolio is clearly structured as a business. The majority of the Argentine striker's funds are channeled into commercial real estate through a real estate investment trust (REIT) called Edificio Rostower Socimi.

Messi's real estate fund has officially been listed on the Spanish stock exchange. As of mid-year, the market capitalization of Edificio Rostower has grown to over 243 million Euros.

Messi's approach to investing hundreds of millions of dollars in real estate is very systematic, from acquiring the Galerias Via Wagner commercial building worth €11.5 million in Barcelona's bustling Turó Park district to renovate it into a rental complex, to entrusting the management of the luxurious MiM Hotels chain to Meliá Hotels International to optimize operating costs and generate a steady stream of passive income each month.

Unlike the glitz and glamour of many stars, Messi enjoys a simple, private life as a billionaire. Photo: @antonelaroccuzzo/Instagram.

Despite his private and family-oriented lifestyle, Messi still owns some highly personalized and valuable "toys" befitting a billionaire.

The most expensive items are the $15 million Gulfstream V private jet with the legendary number 10 emblazoned on its tail and the 1957 Ferrari 335 S Spider Scaglietti – a rare classic car acquired at auction for a staggering $36 million .

However, behind the luxurious $10.8 million beachfront villa in the ultra-wealthy Bay Colony neighborhood of Miami, Messi's daily life presents a fascinating paradox.

In a conversation with presenter Miguel Granados on OLGA in late 2023, Messi admitted that he was a "boring dad."

He stated that he is a perfectionist, always maintaining unwavering discipline at the dinner table and valuing daily routines to an extreme degree. Messi always feels uncomfortable if his family's schedule is disrupted.

On messaging apps, this superstar is also known for sending short messages, hating voicemails, and always keeping his online status on to maintain face-to-face interaction.

After the bright lights of the football pitch, Messi's greatest pleasure is simply lying on the sofa, quietly watching TV after his wife and children have gone to sleep.

In a world where celebrities and the super-rich constantly flaunt their glamour, the way Messi enjoys his enormous fortune quietly, clearly separating his work and family life, is what earns him the most admiration.

Source: https://znews.vn/ai-thang-trong-cuoc-dua-giau-co-giua-messi-va-ronaldo-post1653505.html