Lionel Messi is without a doubt one of the greatest football players of all time. He’s won almost every trophy there is to win with his club, FC Barcelona and has scored an almost unbelievable number of goals — 541 in 516 games, as of this writing. His sponsorships are numerous, and it seems that everyone wants him. But how much is Lionel Messi worth? That answer depends on who you ask, but as usual, there are some conflicting reports about his net value. Some sources claim he’s a billionaire, while others estimate his wealth at less than half that amount. How can that be? Let’s take a quick look at the facts behind Lionel Messi’s net worth so you can make your own judgment.
Is Messi A Billionaire?
In his early days, he was not that much rich as he was thought to be. He lived off his mother’s earnings while growing up and even had to move out of their house when she could not afford to pay for his school fees and college education. However, this did not stop him from pursuing his dream of becoming a professional footballer.How Much Does Lionel Messi Make?
- Messi is the highest-paid footballer in the world with an annual salary of $44 million. He signed a new contract with Barcelona in 2010 and it will be valid till 2018.
- He was also the highest-paid player at his time when he signed a new deal with FC Barcelona in June 2010 which was worth $40 million a year.
- He is the highest-paid in the world, and he tried to take the top spot from Cristiano Ronaldo, who was paid $33 million per year for his Nike contract with Real Madrid. Messi was paid $10 million more than Ronaldo, who signed a Nike contract in 2009.
- Messi’s salary also includes bonuses from Barcelona, which could increase his total income as well as his net worth. He receives a bonus of $14 million from Barcelona plus an additional amount from sponsors like Adidas and Pepsi which keeps on increasing every year. His total income is estimated to be around $48 million annually ($27 million for Messi and his other income). His current contract with FC Barcelona will be valid till 2018, but he might extend it for another five years or so if he wishes to do so in the future.
- Messi was the highest-paid footballer in the world in 2011 with a salary of $41 million and the second highest-paid football player in the world in 2012 with a salary of $40 million per year.
- Messi is also part owner of FC Barcelona, which means he makes money from this club too but his share is not as big as Ronaldo’s. He owns 15 percent of Barcelona, which means he receives around $7 million every year as part ownership fee and there are other benefits like discounts from tickets and official merchandise from his club. His annual income from FC Barcelona is around $42 million.
- He also has a number of sponsorship deals with companies like Adidas, Pepsi, Nestle, and EA Sports because he has won so many awards for his talent and achievement in football matches that he has to earn money from different sources to maintain his lifestyle as well as his family’s expenses. the l income is $44 million.
- Messi also has a contract with FC Barcelona which is worth $400,000 per month, which adds up to an annual salary of $14 million. He received $10 million in bonuses from his contract with Adidas and Pepsi, so he earned a total of $14 million in 2010.
- He signed a new deal with FC Barcelona in 2010 and it was worth $40 million per year for the first three years and then it lowered to $36 million per year for the last two years. The contract was extended for another three years in 2013 for an amount of $8 million a year until 2017, but it was canceled by the club after their failure to win any trophy since 2011.
- With this new deal, Messi earns a total of $131 million annually. He is expected to earn more as his contracts are getting renewed every year and will be valid until 2018 at least. His annual salary is expected
How Did Messi Make So Much Money?
- The first thing to understand is that the value of Messi’s brand isn’t actually $1 billion. It’s more like $450 million to $550 million. So how did it get so big? The answer is pretty simple once you break it down.
- The second thing to understand about Messi is that he’s not just a brand; he’s also an athlete. When you think of athletes like LeBron James or Michael Jordan, one thing that comes to mind is their brand value as well as their athletic ability. Messi has both of those things in spades: He’s known for being one of the best players in the world right now and he also happens to be one of the best players ever! Forbes says that his brand is that Messi’s brand is not just his name. It’s everything he’s done in his career.
- The third thing to understand is that, according to Forbes magazine, “the value of his brand increased by $1 billion every year for the past 10 years.”
- This is why Forbes stated that he was a billionaire in 2012 and still is today.
- So, if you add up all the values of his brand from 2012 until today, it would be a total of $1 billion!
- In fact, these numbers are not new or surprising at all because they have been reported by many other sources as well such as Forbes magazine and others since 2011!
Final Words
Whatever the actual numbers are, there’s no doubt that Lionel Messi is a very rich man. But is he a billionaire? It’s hard to say. There are a lot of conflicting reports, but regardless of which number is right, it’s clear that Messi is a very rich man. That’s mostly because he plays football and has been doing it for a very long time. He’s been a professional footballer since he was 13 years old, and there are no signs that he’s slowing down. In fact, his numbers suggest that he’s getting better with age. If Messi stays healthy and keeps playing for another decade or so, it’s likely that his net worth will increase even more.
