Surpassing LeBron James, Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar on the Forbes 2022 list, Lionel Messi has become the world’s highest-paid athlete.
Not only is Lionel Messi a household name among football fans, his influence in popular culture is immense. With a successful sporting career, it is no surprise that Lionel Messi has made a fortune both on and off the pitch.
In more than 20 years of professional competition, Messi has always maintained his top position.
According to Forbes, the Argentine soccer superstar earned $130 million between May 2021 and May 2022. He even surpassed the world’s top basketball star LeBron James, rival Cristiano Ronaldo and his close brother Neymar in the list of the world’s highest-earning athletes in 2022.
Of course, with such a huge amount of money, Messi’s life filled with luxury will certainly overwhelm many fans.
Highest paid in the world
Lionel Messi is considered the best football player of all time
According to Forbes, in 2022, the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner brought in an astonishing $75 million in earnings from on-field activities alone, more than any other athlete on the planet.
Accordingly, the contract with the rich French team Paris Saint-Germain alone has helped “The Goat” earn 35 million USD/year, equivalent to 673,000 USD/week. According to Evening Standard, in addition to his huge salary, the 35-year-old striker also received a signing bonus worth 26 million USD before signing a contract with PSG in the summer of 2021.
Signing a contract with PSG club helps Messi earn a large amount of money
Make money off the field
Forbes also said that Messi’s off-field earnings were around $55 million in 2022. This made him the third player on the list of athletes with the highest off-field earnings in the world, behind only tennis icon Roger Federer and NBA superstar LeBron James.
Accordingly, most of Messi’s off-field income comes from advertising activities. In addition to his $20 million/year contract with Socios, he is also the representative face of many of the world’s leading brands such as Adidas, Budweiser and PepsiCo.
Messi is the face of the world’s top brands
In addition, the former Barcelona striker also owns numerous luxurious properties, the most expensive of which include a $7 million mansion in the suburbs of Barcelona (Spain), a villa in his hometown of Rosario (Argentina) or an entire floor of a luxury apartment building in Saint Isles Beach, Florida (USA). Since 2017, Messi has also officially owned the MiM Hotels chain, operated by Majestic Hotel Group, a group with resorts in Ibiza, Majorca and Barcelona.
Hotel owned by Argentina star
Fun only for the super rich
Of course, football is Messi’s biggest passion. However, he also has a lot of affection for luxury cars and owns a huge collection including many “luxury cars” such as the $2 million Pagani Zonda Tricolore, Ferrari F430 Spyder, Dodge Charger SRT8 and Maserati Gran Turismo,…
“The Goat’s” luxury car collection leaves many people overwhelmed
To serve the purpose of traveling to visit his family, Messi also owns a private plane worth 15 million USD. It is known that Messi’s Gulfstream V private plane has many luxurious amenities including two kitchens and bathrooms, and can accommodate up to 16 passengers.
Actively do charity
Possessing a large fortune and a personality admired by many, Messi also does not disappoint people when he is a person who regularly contributes to social activities. Ever since he was a young football star, he established the “Lionel Messi Foundation” in cooperation with Unicef to help vulnerable children around the world.
Messi is known as a player who actively does charity work in the football world.
According to Unicef, in 2017, Messi donated his money to help the foundation build classrooms for 1,600 children orphaned by war in Syria, while in 2019, the foundation donated $218,000 to provide food and water to people in Kenya.
“I get excited every day when I see a child smile, when he thinks there is hope, when I see them feel happy. That’s why we decided to create the Leo Messi Foundation, and I will continue to fight to bring happiness to children “- Messi shared.
