Lionel Messi's Net Worth, Football, Early Life

If you're looking to learn all about Lionel Messi's net worth, along with his career, background, and family life, you're in the right place. Read on to find out everything you need to know about this global superstar.

Lionel Messi's Net Worth

Messi's net worth is estimated at around $600 million dollars. His consistently high earnings, sound investments, and lucrative investment deals have allowed him to build a substantial net worth. It's safe to say that unless something goes seriously wrong, Messi and his family will be set financially for many years to come.

Salary

In his current contract, Messi earns $130 million dollars a year from Paris Saint-Germain. That's only a base salary, with the potential for massive boosts from several contractual bonuses. Messi can make extra money from games won, goals scored, and trophies won throughout a season.

Even as a teenager, Messi was earning a salary that would be the envy of most businesspeople. His pay has increased year on year, and these wage rises have been well worth it to Messi's employers. Messi has been worth his weight in gold, both by earning prize money and attracting fans to his clubs.

Messi's total earnings have just surpassed $1 billion dollars. However, much of this money has been spent on taxes, living costs, and investments.

Endorsements

As one of the world's best-known athletes, it's only to be expected that many huge companies are keen to have Messi promoting their products.

Messi has been paid to endorse products like Adidas, Pepsi, Budweiser, and Lays. These deals have proved hugely lucrative to Messi, adding a substantial buffer to his annual salary.

Investments

Messi has been able to divert the considerable fortune he made from playing soccer into additional income streams. Notably, Messi has successfully invested in several hotels.

Messi's hotel portfolio includes businesses in the Spanish locations of Barcelona, Sitges, and Mallorca. He also owns an upscale ski resort in Andorra, a micronation between Spain and France.

These business ventures have helped Messi to supplement his substantial sporting earnings. In a career where a simple injury could cause a major loss of earnings, it's always wise for athletes to make outside investments.

Tax Evasion

Throughout his career, Messi hasn't just been great at earning lots of money. He's also excelled in keeping hold of what he has. Sometimes, these clever financial moves have landed Messi in hot water.

In 2013, Messi's tax strategies saw him wind up facing a judge, faced with tax evasion. Millions of dollars were invested in offshore accounts in Belize and Uruguay.

Messi, alongside his father, was handed a suspended prison sentence. He claimed to be ignorant of financial affairs, simply singing financial contracts while focusing on playing football.

Lionel Messi Early Life

Messi was born in 1987, in the Argentinian town of Rosario, Santa Fe. The son of industrial workers, he grew up in a family of soccer enthusiasts, playing pick-up games with his older brothers and other neighborhood kids.

He grew up idolizing several soccer stars of the era. One of the most notable was Diego Maradona, a legendary Argentinian striker known for his skills and controversial attitude. Years later, when Messi turned 18, Maradona named Messi as his successor to carry Argentinian football forward.

Although Messi is best known for his time at Barcelona, he didn't start his career with the Spanish giants. Aged six, he entered the youth system of Newell's Old Boys, a team Messi continues to support.

Messi excelled even in these early years, scoring hundreds of goals as a key member of his highly-rated youth teams. But many coaches expressed doubt about his prospects due to his small stature and frail physical appearance. One coach even called him a "dwarf".

Tests soon revealed the young Messi was suffering from a growth hormone deficiency. Without hormone treatment, Messi would have failed to reach his full growth potential, which could have spelled the end of his career in professional soccer.

It was this need for treatment that led to Messi's departure from Argentina. FC Barcelona was willing to pay for his hormone injections and they provided an apartment for him and his family near their Nou Camp stadium.

Lionel Messi's Football Career

Today, it's hard to think of Messi as anything other than a global superstar. But he's not always been at the top of his game. Let's take a look at Leo's career and find out more about how he rose to the top.

Barcelona Beginnings

Following his youth career, Messi got his first taste of senior soccer with Barcelona C. Playing in the lower tiers of the Spanish game, he came up against players of all ages for the first time. This experience helped him to improve physically and develop his skills.

Messi's spell with Barcelona B was slightly less successful in terms of goals scored. In total, Messi scored six goals in 22 league matches or less than once every three games.

Global Superstar

After reaching the Barcelona first-team squad, it didn't take Messi long to establish himself as the global superstar we know today. He made his debut in La Liga, the top level of Spanish soccer, just two months after his 18th birthday.

Messi impressed with his excellent footwork and dribbling. He quickly linked up with fellow superstars in the Barcelona lineup like Gerard Pique and Ronaldinho. Although facing early pressure from the media, and senior players, Messi dealt with these expectations well, continuing to be a standout performer even in front of huge crowds.

The 2008-09 season was Messi's breakout campaign with Barcelona. He helped the club to a domestic treble, winning medals in La Liga, the Copa del Rey, and the Champions League. Messi was also the top scorer in the Champions League that season ahead of several major rivals.

For the 2009-10 season, Messi won the Ballon d'Or award. This honor is only bestowed upon the world's best players and is given out once per year to a player who has enjoyed a particularly fine season.

Throughout the 2010s, Messi continued to build his reputation, winning further trophies and impressing with his superb dribbling and goal-scoring feats.

Paris Saint-Germain

In 2020, Messi shocked the sporting world by requesting a transfer away from Barcelona. To many people, it seemed certain that Messi would finish his career at the club where he had achieved so much.

But the following year, Messi secured a move to French giants Paris Saint-Germain. Mismanagement behind the scenes at Barcelona left Messi feeling disillusioned and the club unable to meet his wage demands. Paris Saint Germain, a club already boasting a number of world-class players, acquired Messi on a free transfer and signed him to a two-year contract with an option for an extra year.

Messi initially struggled to bed into his new team. He failed to make double-figure goals for the first season since 2006. Still, Messi showed several touches of brilliance, and could still be a key figure for his new club.

International Career

As well as playing for Barcelona and Paris Sant-Germain, Messi has represented Argentina on the international stage.

Messi found enormous success on the international stage, beginning at youth level with a gold medal in the 2008 summer Olympics. He made his senior international debut in less than auspicious circumstances. Brought on as a 64th-minute substitute against Hungary, he was sent off minutes later for dangerous play.

But Messi soon found his feet, becoming a key member of his country's team. In 2021, his team won the Copa America, while Argentina also reached the World Cup final with Messi at the head of their attack.

Messi's record of 86 goals in 162 games is record-setting. It makes Messi the highest-scoring player in Argentina's history. He is also the highest-scoring South American male of all time, having surpassed Brazilian legend Pele's goal-scoring record.

Lionel Messi's Relationship

Since 2008, Messi has been in a relationship with fellow Argentine Antonela Roccuzzo. Roccuzzo grew up in Messi's home city of Rosario and the two knew each other as young children.

The pair married in 2018, following the birth of their third child. The wedding took place at a luxury hotel in their hometown of Rosario. Fellow footballers like Neymar, pop stars like Shakira, and other celebrities were among the guests at what was described by some as "the wedding of the century".

Lionel Messi's Family

Messi and his wife have three sons together. As a reserved person, Messi is said to enjoy spending lots of time at home with his family, rather than spending time out partying as some other athletes do.

Messi maintains strong links with his family and hometown. His family members manage his day-to-day schedule and financial affairs.

The wider Messi family is close-knit too. Leo maintains good relationships with cousins and other relatives and ensures he never forgets his roots and the people who helped him build a career.

FAQ

There's lots more to learn about Lionel Messi's life and career. Check out these frequently asked questions about the star.

How Does Messi Spend His Money?

Whichever way you slice it, Lionel Messi makes a lot of money. But all that money doesn't just sit in a bank account going unused. So, how does he spend it all?

Well, like many of his rich and famous contemporaries, Messi likes to splash the cash a little from time to time. He's often seen wearing expensive watches and designer clothes.

Transport is another way Messi likes to show off his wealth. He often flies from place to place in a private jet. He also has a collection of supercars, including a Maserati Grand Turismo MC and a Ferrari F430 Spider.

What's Next for Messi?

Messi is likely to be coming to the end of his professional soccer career. At the age of 35, he is well past his prime. Although he's still a top performer, he's not quite the player he used to be, with many of his physical attributes now in decline.

But Messi is unlikely to retire directly from Paris Saint-Germain. Instead, he is likely to return to his home country to represent his boyhood club Newell's Old Boys. It has long been Messi's stated dream to return to play with the club he supported and represented as a youngster.

Is Messi the Best Soccer Player in the World?

Many believe Messi is the world's greatest soccer player. It's hard to disagree with that.

The main rival to this claim is Portuguese player Cristiano Ronaldo. The Manchester United star, who previously represented Juventus, Real Madrid, and Sporting CP is certainly among the world's other great players. But no other soccer star has ever earned the same amount of money that Messi has.

Lionel Messi's net worth is one most could only dream of. But there's more to the man than just money.

Messi's story goes to show that with a lot of hard work and determination, it's possible to make it to the top even if you face setbacks early on.

Our net worths are for entertainment purposes only. We do our best to provide accurate figures, but we cannot guarantee their accuracy. The figures are based on public information and estimates, and may not reflect the true value of assets or liabilities.