Messi's net worth has surpassed $1 billion.
"Messi, 38, has earned over $700 million in salary and bonuses since 2007. After adjusting for taxes, market performance, and income from investments and sponsorships, Messi's net worth has now surpassed $1 billion," Bloomberg announced on May 22. This officially joins the "billionaire club" alongside Ronaldo, making them the only two footballers to date whose net worth exceeds $1 billion.
Messi joined Inter Miami from humble beginnings, helping the club achieve numerous accolades. The club is now valued at $1.45 billion and ranks 16th on the list of the world's most valuable clubs.
Photo: Reuters
Included in the list of "billionaire football clubs," David Beckham, Chairman and co-owner of Inter Miami FC, is also named, thanks to his enormous earnings after retirement and his successful business ventures. Alongside him is his wife, Victoria, also a highly successful businesswoman. According to the Sunday Times , the Beckhams' combined net worth has reached nearly $1.6 billion.
Meanwhile, according to Bloomberg 's analysis, Messi is the latest in football to join the "billionaire club," having accumulated more than $700 million in salaries and bonuses since 2007, along with investment profits, sponsorships, and business assets, thus helping his net worth surpass the $1 billion mark.
Messi's income includes salary and bonuses from Inter Miami, as well as image rights deals, jersey sales, and a partnership with tech giant Apple to share television revenue. In addition, his business ventures, including real estate and even a stake in a restaurant chain in Argentina, have helped him join the billionaire club, according to Bloomberg .
Messi's unique path
"Messi's move to the US also opened up other novel ways of paying him. In initial contract negotiations, Major League Soccer (MLS) and Apple discussed a revenue-sharing agreement under which Messi would receive a portion of the revenue from new subscriptions to Apple TV+'s MLS Season Pass streaming package," according to The Athletic .
Jorge Mas, co-owner of Inter Miami with David Beckham, said the number of subscribers to the streaming service doubled in the months following Messi's arrival. In an interview earlier this year, Mas hinted that Messi's total annual income from the club was between $70 million and $80 million, including both equity ownership and player salary.
Messi and David Beckham both joined the 'billionaire club' alongside Ronaldo.
Photo: Reuters
According to the latest Forbes statistics, Messi's earnings in 2026 amounted to $140 million, including $70 million from salary and bonuses, and the remaining $70 million from off-field income from business and commercial activities.
This figure reaches $300 million for Ronaldo, who continues to lead Forbes ' list of the world's highest-paid athletes for the fourth consecutive year.
However, Ronaldo achieved this primarily thanks to his "blockbuster" contract with Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia, with an annual salary of up to $235 million, while his off-field income is $65 million. Ronaldo became the world's first billionaire footballer, following a Bloomberg announcement last September.
Ronaldo is the first billionaire player in world football.
Photo: Reuters
"Messi could actually soon join the 'billionaire club' and be the first to reach this milestone, receiving an annual salary of up to $400 million, if, after winning the 2022 World Cup with the Argentine national team, he agrees to join the Saudi Arabian Pro League."
Instead, Messi chose to join Inter Miami, while Ronaldo signed a separate contract with Saudi Arabia in 2023, worth over $200 million per year. Recently, Ronaldo extended his contract for another two years and just fulfilled his dream with his first championship title with Al Nassr," Bloomberg assessed.
Nevertheless, Messi's decision to move to the US, while not bringing in a massive amount of money immediately, ultimately helped the star surpass the $1 billion mark in net worth through sporting and business deals and projects.
"Money has never been a problem or an obstacle for me," Messi told Mundo Deportivo in a previous interview. "If it were about money, I would have gone to Saudi Arabia or somewhere else," Messi emphasized.
Bloomberg quoted these statements, seemingly to confirm that Messi became a billionaire without lucrative contracts with Saudi Arabia, by taking a different path that suited his family life.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/messi-chinh-thuc-gia-nhap-clb-ti-phu-cung-ronaldo-185260523081846878.htm
Comment (0)