Lionel Messi Reaches $1.1 Billion Net Worth as Active Athlete

Lionel Messi holds a net worth of $1.1 billion according to Forbes estimates as of June 2026. The Argentine forward is one of two new billionaires competing at this year’s World Cup and one of four athletes to reach that level while still active in their sports.

Messi earned an estimated $70 million on the field and $70 million from endorsements and other business activities in the most recent season.

His total guaranteed on-field compensation for 2026 stands at $28.3 million per MLS Players Association data. Over his career he has earned an estimated $1.2 billion from playing contracts before taxes and agents’ fees and more than $600 million from endorsements, memorabilia and other business endeavors, bringing total career earnings to $1.8 billion.

Messi ranked third on the 2026 Forbes list of the world’s highest-paid athletes with $140 million in earnings over the past 12 months.

He has placed among the five highest-paid athletes for 13 consecutive years through 2026 and first appeared on the Forbes highest-paid soccer players list in 2008 with $11.9 million. Messi signed a lifetime deal with Adidas in 2017. He owns a stake in MiM Hotels, a chain of six properties in Spain and Andorra, and launched Edificio Rostower Socimi, a publicly listed real estate investment trust with a $282 million market cap, in 2024.

He is also a partner in Argentine restaurant chain El Club de la Milanesa and co-founded Uruguay’s Deportivo LSM with Luis Suárez in 2025. In April 2026 he bought fifth-tier Spanish club UE Cornellà for an undisclosed amount. Inter Miami’s valuation rose from $600 million before his arrival to $1.35 billion in three years.