Argentine Lionel Messi (AP Photo/Gustavo Garello, file)
Lionel Messi has reportedly crossed the $1 billion mark in net worth, becoming the second footballer ever to enter the billionaire’s club after his old rival Cristiano Ronaldo. According to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, cited by Goal.com, Messi’s fortune has now surpassed $1 billion after years of huge earnings through salaries, bonuses, endorsements and investments.
It is estimated that the Argentine star has earned more than $700 million in wages and performance-related payments since 2007 alone. Unlike Ronaldo, whose financial empire has expanded rapidly through a bold global branding strategy and his mega-move to Al Nassr in 2023, Messi’s wealth growth has reportedly been more measured and carefully managed through long-term partnerships and family-led business decisions across Europe and the United States. The 38-year-old’s commercial influence has expanded further since joining FC Inter Miami in 2023. His arrival has transformed soccer’s popularity in the United States, leading to increased attendance numbers, global interest in Major League Soccer and increased interest from several European stars considering a move to North America. Messi’s cultural influence in the United States has now reached another level ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. A New Jersey town has officially named a section of Sherman Street as “Leo Messi Way” in honor of the Argentine icon.
The tribute comes from Berkeley Heights, a small town in Union County with a population of just over 13,000. The initiative was approved by the FIFA World Cup 26 Bahrain Task Force, a local group formed to build excitement and community engagement before the World Cup arrives in the United States, Canada and Mexico next year. Messi, who led Argentina to victory in the World Cup in Qatar in 2022, will lead his country again to the tournament in 2026. Argentina have been placed in Group J alongside Austria, Jordan and Algeria, and their opening match is scheduled to be against Algeria in Kansas City on June 16.