Following Argentina's triumph in the World Cup, Lionel Messi's influence both on and off the field has reached new heights. As reported by Forbes, the Argentine football superstar ranks second on the 2023 list of highest-earning athletes, with an income of $130 million, evenly split between his earnings from the sport and other sources.
Despite leaving European football, Messi's total income remains on par with his earnings from the previous two years. His income primarily comes from his regular player salary, bonuses, image rights, brand endorsements, and investment returns.
Messi's endorsement deals span various sectors, including clothing, footwear, and wine. His collaboration with the blockchain-based fan platform Socios alone generates an estimated annual income of around $20 million. In addition, he established an investment company named Play Time in October 2022.
On June 8, 2023, Messi announced his move to Inter Miami, embarking on the next chapter of his career in the United States. American media outlet The Athletic noted that Messi's presence in Major League Soccer (MLS) could significantly impact the league's attendance, international exposure, merchandise sales, and attraction of other top players.
In August, Inter Miami faced FC Dallas in the North American League Cup round of 16. The match took place in Frisco, a small city in northern Dallas with a population of only 200,000. Messi's immense influence helped generate a direct economic impact of up to $3 million for the city.
Before officially joining Inter Miami, the club had around 1 million followers on Instagram. After Messi's arrival, the club's Instagram followers skyrocketed, surpassing 10 million by July 21. The club's fan base continues to grow steadily.
Inter Miami is projected to become the first MLS club valued over $1 billion in the next calendar year.
In September 2019, Messi collaborated with the American brand management company MGO Global to launch the Messi brand, focusing primarily on sportswear for men. Currently, the Messi Brand is MGO's "first and only brand asset."
The Messi brand offers products including T-shirts, polo shirts, jackets, pants, and a range of accessories like plush bathrobes, patterned beach towels, rugs, posters, and keychains. The brand targets the mid-range market, with prices ranging from $50 to $130.
On November 18, 2022, MGO Global filed for an IPO with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. In January, MGO Global went public on NASDAQ, and thanks to the "Messi effect," its stock price reached a high of $16.61.
According to MGO Global's third-quarter financial report, the cumulative revenue for the first three quarters of the 2023 fiscal year was $3.7554 million, a significant increase from $336,100 in the same period last year, marking a more than tenfold increase.
It's not uncommon for athletes to launch personal brands. Portuguese football star Cristiano Ronaldo also owns his fashion brand CR7, which launched underwear products in collaboration with Danish underwear group JBS in 2013.
Michael Alstrup, CEO of JBS, once stated that in the year following the collaboration with Ronaldo, JBS's export market expanded from 5 to 54 countries, highlighting the powerful brand effect of star athletes.
