Forbes valuation
Messi is worth $1.1 billion, according to Forbes estimates, making him one of the world’s wealthiest athletes and one of Argentina’s wealthiest people. Forbes first named Messi a billionaire in June, crediting the value of his contracts and endorsements. Messi has earned more than $1.8 billion in contracts, brand deals and other business endeavors, Forbes previously reported, including a lifetime deal with Adidas. Jorge Mas, owner of Inter Miami, previously told Bloomberg he was paying Messi “$70 million to $80 million a year.” Messi ranked No. 3 on Forbes’ 2026 list of the world’s highest-paid athletes, with an estimated $140 million in earnings, only behind Portuguese soccer player Cristiano Ronaldo and Mexican boxer Canelo Alvarez. According to Forbes’ real-time billionaires list, Messi is the fifth-wealthiest Argentine.
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surprising fact
Messi previously announced an international retirement in 2016, after losing the 2016 Copa America final to Chile, Messi, then 29, told reporters he was “done playing with the national team,” saying he played in “four finals, and I was not able to win,” including a loss in the 2014 World Cup final. Messi was named to Argentina’s team for the World Cup qualifiers two months later, saying he loved the team “too much” to walk away. “We need to fix many things in Argentinian football, but I prefer to do this from inside and not criticise from outside,” Messi said at the time. Messi’s reputation then was far different among Argentine fans, as he faced immense criticism for not yet winning a major trophy. That completely turned around when Messi led Argentina to win the World Cup in 2022, a year after he captained Argentina’s first Copa America-winning side in nearly three decades.
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key background
Messi is considered by many to be the world’s greatest soccer player. Messi is Argentina’s all-time leading scorer, with 124 goals in 203 games for the national team. He has appeared in six World Cups, scoring 21 goals in the competition, one behind the record mark of 22 goals by France’s Kylian Mbappé. Messi, an Argentina native, joined FC Barcelona’s academy as a 13-year-old and debuted for its full team at age 17 in 2004. He made his national team debut in 2005 before playing his first World Cup 2006.
further reading
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