Latest Update: Lionel Messi - Is the Star a Billionaire? Net Worth 2026: Career Earnings & Assets

As one of the most talked-about figures, Lionel Messi has built a significant fortune. In this article, we dive deep into the assets and career highlights.

What Is Lionel Messi's Net Worth?

Lionel Messi Salary and Contracts

In August 2021, Lionel signed with Paris Saint-Germain. His initial contract is a two-year deal that works out to $75 million per year before taxes, roughly $40 million after taxes. Messi's contract also allowed him to earn additional bonuses based on milestones and a cut of jersey sales.

Messi is likely the highest-paid soccer player in the world and definitely one of the highest-paid athletes in the world overall. His earth-shattering 2017 contract with Barcelona gave Messi an average baseannualsalary of $168 million. He also earns roughly $70 million per year from endorsements, which meant under that contract he was making around $200 million per year. On June 7, 2023, Lionel announced that he was joiningDavid Beckham'sMLS team, Inter Miami, under a very unique deal that includes a revenue share of subscriptions sold by Apple's coverage of the MLS season and an ownership stake in the team. More details on this contract later in this article, but long story short, Lionel's base salary at Inter Miami is $60 million, and he will own 10% of the time at the end of his contract. That 10% stake could be worth $200 million or more if the team maintains its value after he retires.

In May 2023, it was reported thatLionel Messi was on the verge of signing a $1 billion contractwith an unnamed Saudi Pro League team. The deal would reportedly pay Lionel a salary of $400 MILLION per season. If true, that annual salary would have nearly doubled the2.5-year, $535 milliondeal thatCristiano Ronaldoaccepted in December of 2022 from a Saudi Pro League team called Al Nassr. Lionel ultimately rejected this offer and instead signed with David Beckham's MLS team Inter Miami.

Despite what you might have read in some lower-quality sources, Lionel Messi is NOT A BILLIONAIRE. By the time his contract with Barcelona was over, with endorsements, Lionel had earned north of $1.6 billion. By our count, he has earned around $1.2 billion in salary to date and $400 million from endorsements. Some outlets misread that stat about his overall earnings exceeding $1 billion and falsely declared him a "billionaire."

Lionel Messi is an Argentinian-born professional athlete who has a net worth of $850 million. Lionel Messi is often regarded as the best soccer player in the world and one of the best in history. He is certainly one of, if not THE, highest-paid player in history. Lionel Messi played for Barcelona from his teenage years through 2021. During his time with Barcelona, Lionel scored 672 goals in 778 games. On August 10, 2021, it was announced that Lionel would move from Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain. He also plays for the Argentina National Team. On December 18, 2022, Lionel and the Argentina National team won the World Cup.

Messi earns an additional $70 million every year from endorsements. He has a lifetime endorsement deal with Adidas.

When he was at his peak with Barcelona, Lionel Messi was easily the highest-paid soccer player in the world. In 2017, he signed a contract with Barcelona that paid a base salary of $168 million. His contract numbers were a closely guarded secret for several years, but in January 2021, the Spanish newspaper "El Mundo" published the leaked contract details. Under a previous contract, his annual base salary was $44.68 million.

In summary, the total wealth of Lionel Messi reflects strategic moves.

Disclaimer: All net worth figures are estimates based on public data.