*All figures are in USD
The little boy from Rosario in Argentina, Leo Messi is often referred to as the greatest footballer of all time, and such a title comes with an income to match. Between May 2021 and May 2022, Messi’s income was approximately $130 million, according to Forbes.
On the Field Messi’s current contract sees him earning around $44 million as a base salary from Paris Saint-Germain, with a $17 million annual loyalty bonus. The Evening Standard reported that Messi quietly pocketed a $25 million signing bonus for his move to the Parc Des Princes.
Previous to his shock move, Messi was signed to a four-year deal with the club that made him, FC Barcelona. The reported deal was made in 2017 and totalled $650 million, with a $40 million base salary, a $12.5 million yearly signing bonus and a $23 million yearly loyalty payment….
Leo Messi’s contract at French giants PSG ends after this current season, and the upcoming Qatar FIFA World Cup might play a significant role in the future for Messi and where he decides to lace them up. Rumours are circulating that the 35-year-old will join forces with global football icon David Beckham and hit the pitch over in Miami, where Beckham is the majority shareholder in flagship MLS club Inter Miami.
Internationally, Messi does not earn anywhere near as much for Argentina. In fact, it’s not publicly stated anywhere that Messi draws a salary from International duty. A quiet and humble character, Messi paid a number of Argentina staff wages in 2016 when security staff complained about going unpaid for at least five months. When the story got out about the generous act, Leo was not happy, having been known for wanting to keep charitable acts away from the media.
Off the Field If you thought the salaries were high, wait for the sponsorships.
The figures around Messi’s sponsorships are a cloudy and well-kept secret, but a recently published deal showed a Leo Messi partnership with cryptocurrency fan token platform, Socios, which earns Leo around $20 million per year. On top of this, Messi’s major sponsors include PepsiCo, Adidas and Budweiser. Only recently did Hard Rock add Leo Messi as their first-ever athlete ambassador.
Adidas is Leo Messi’s major sporting sponsor, and he has been known to lace up Adidas boots every game. Messi has reportedly signed a lifetime contract with Adidas that will ultimately earn him over $1 billion of lifetime earnings from the three stripes. The ‘lifetime’ deals are a recent trend that sees multibillion dollar sporting conglomerates sign hyper successful athletes forever. Only a few of these contracts have ever been issued — including Cristiano Ronaldo to Nike and LeBron James to Nike. Some ‘almost lifetime’ deals include Roger Federer with UNIQLO and Steph Curry with Under Armour. Read about those deals here.
Summary The ‘little magician’ has multiple avenues of substantial lucrative income that an exact net worth figure is difficult to accurately predict. However, based on all possible information, Lionel Messi’s net worth is around $750 million, and he is expected to reach billionaire status within the next 2 years.