Messi Net Worth 2026: $1.1B Fortune, Miami Pay and Endorsements

Lionel Messi's net worth is about $1.1 billion, according to Forbes' real-time tracker (checked 25 September 2026). Celebrity Net Worth puts it slightly lower, at $1 billion (page updated July 2026). The main reason is two decades of top-of-the-market pay: Forbes estimates he has earned about $1.8 billion on and off the field over his career, before taxes and agent fees.

Where the money comes from

Messi's fortune rests on four streams: club salary, endorsements, equity and revenue-sharing at Inter Miami, and property. Here is what the sources report for each.

Club salary

The biggest single pay packet came from FC Barcelona. Celebrity Net Worth reports that his 2017 Barcelona contract averaged about $168 million a year in base salary before bonuses, which made him the best-paid player in the sport at the time. After he left for Paris Saint-Germain in 2021, the same outlet estimates he earned roughly $75 million a year before tax, or around $40 million after tax. It puts his lifetime on-field salary and bonuses at more than $700 million.

In Miami, the public number is smaller than the real one. The MLS Players Association salary guide lists a base salary of $12 million and guaranteed compensation of $20,446,667, ESPN reported in March 2026. But Inter Miami co-owner Jorge Mas told Bloomberg that the club pays Messi $70 million to $80 million a year once everything is counted, including his ownership shares. The Guardian notes that his first Miami deal paid more than $20 million a year in guaranteed money and included equity in the club when he stops playing.

Endorsements

Forbes lists Adidas, Anheuser-Busch InBev, Apple, Beats by Dre, Epic Games, Hard Rock Cafe, Konami, Lowe's, Mastercard, Panini, PepsiCo and YPF among his sponsors, and notes that the Adidas deal is for life. Celebrity Net Worth estimates his endorsement income at $40 million to $60 million a year. Reuters, summarizing Forbes' October 2025 ranking of the best-paid footballers, said most of his $130 million in 2025 earnings came from off-field deals, and that he launched a sports drink in 2024.

Annual earnings, per Forbes

The May 2026 figures come from USA Today's report on the Forbes list, which counts both salary and off-field income before taxes and agent fees.

Career: how he got here

Messi was born on 24 June 1987 in Rosario, Argentina, according to Wikipedia. Forbes notes that he moved to Barcelona at 13 to join the club's academy. The timeline below covers the moves that shaped his earnings.

• 2004: First-team debut for Barcelona, four years after joining the youth setup.
• 2009: First Ballon d'Or. Celebrity Net Worth says Barcelona reworked his contract several times around this period to match his status.
• 2017: Signs the Barcelona contract that Celebrity Net Worth estimates averaged about $168 million a year in base pay.
• 2021: Leaves Barcelona after 17 years, when the club's finances blocked a new deal, and joins Paris Saint-Germain on a two-year contract.
• 2022: Leads Argentina to the World Cup title.
• 2023: Joins Inter Miami, with an option to take an equity stake in the club after he retires, per Forbes. Wins the Leagues Cup that summer.
• 2024: Named MLS MVP as Miami win the Supporters' Shield, according to the club.
• 2025: Wins the MLS Golden Boot with 29 goals. In October he signs an extension through the 2028 MLS season.

On the pitch, Wikipedia lists eight Ballons d'Or and six European Golden Shoes. Those honors matter for his balance sheet because they kept his sponsor fees at the top of the market for fifteen years.

Recent changes (2025–2026)

• Contract extension, October 2025. Inter Miami announced that Messi signed through the end of the 2028 MLS season. Terms were not disclosed. The Guardian reported that the deal is expected to be the last of his playing career and would keep him under contract until he is 41.
• Pay figure made public, March 2026. Jorge Mas's $70 million to $80 million estimate gave the first owner-side number for his total Miami package, well above the MLSPA figure.
• Forbes ranking, May 2026. He placed third among all athletes with $140 million in earnings for 2025.
• New house, September 2026. Bloomberg reported on 24 September 2026 that an LLC linked to Messi paid $8 million for the house next to the Fort Lauderdale home he has lived in while playing for Miami. Public records show the LLC is registered in the name of his longtime money manager, Alfonso Nebot Armisen.

Assets

Most of Messi's wealth is private, so only part of it can be traced:

• South Florida homes. His Fort Lauderdale residence, plus the $8 million house next door bought through an LLC in September 2026 (Bloomberg).
• Spanish property. Celebrity Net Worth describes a portfolio of homes and condos in Spain and South Florida. It also reports a listed Spanish real estate vehicle, Edificio Rostower Socimi, that holds hotels and commercial buildings.
• Inter Miami stake. Forbes and The Guardian both report that his contract gives him equity in the club once he retires. The size of that stake has not been published.
• Consumer businesses. Celebrity Net Worth lists consumer products, restaurants and soccer club ownership among his ventures. Reuters notes the sports drink launched in 2024.

Net worth compared

The obvious comparison is Cristiano Ronaldo. Forbes had Ronaldo earning $280 million in 2025 among footballers and $300 million on its May 2026 all-sport list, against Messi's $130 million and $140 million. Reuters described Ronaldo as the first footballer to reach billionaire status. The gap in yearly pay is mainly Ronaldo's Saudi contract with Al-Nassr. Both men are now well above the billion-dollar mark in Forbes' view.

Among the rest of the Forbes 2025 top ten, Karim Benzema ($104 million), Kylian Mbappé ($95 million) and Erling Haaland ($80 million) all earned less than Messi despite being younger. His endorsement book is the difference.

For other athletes whose wealth comes largely from sponsors, see our profile of Venus Williams. For a very different football career, see Albert Fantrau.

How this figure was reached, and why estimates differ

We use Forbes' $1.1 billion real-time figure as the headline number because it is the most recently updated and Forbes publishes the career earnings behind it. Celebrity Net Worth's $1 billion is close enough that the two sources broadly agree. Older articles still quote $600 million or $650 million, and those figures are out of date: they come from before the Inter Miami deal and the recent Forbes rankings.

Several things are still unknown:

• Taxes and fees. Forbes' $1.8 billion career total is before taxes and agent fees. Messi has played in Spain, France and the United States, which all have different tax rates.
• Private equity. The value of his future Inter Miami stake and his Apple revenue share have not been disclosed. Estimates of his net worth will change as those terms become public.
• Property values. Only a few property purchases are on the public record. Most of his real estate is held through companies, and the September 2026 purchase shows that pattern.

So the $1 billion to $1.1 billion range is a reasonable reading of the public data, not an audited number.