The Inter Miami star has amassed a vast personal fortune, much of it carefully invested in a network of homes, shops, offices and seven hotels.
Lionel Messi's vast property portfolio has been listed on a little-known Spanish stock market, giving potential investors the opportunity to buy a piece of the Messi empire.
On December 30, Messi-owned real estate investment trust Edificio Rostower Socimi (REIT) was listed on Spain's Portfolio Stock Exchange. Messi's vast real estate portfolio includes seven hotels, along with three commercial spaces and several apartments.
The share price was initially set at $58.89, giving the trust a total value of $232 million, although trading has yet to begin. The company's documents list Messi as chairman, while his wife Antonela Roccuzzo is the vice president.
Does Lionel Messi want to earn some money to supplement his lucrative contract with Inter Miami? Front Office Sports is unlikely to report that this move will allow Messi to reduce his tax burden in Spain.
REITs benefit from a lower tax rate than most other Spanish companies and can avoid the requirements to pay tax on profits. In fact, Messi's Edificio Rostower Socimi was designated as a REIT just days after the Spanish government opted not to increase taxes on the trusts.
What is Lionel Messi's net worth?
Incredibly, the $232 million Spanish real estate empire represents less than half of Messi's total wealth. Forbes estimates the Argentinian's total net worth at around $600 million, the proceeds of a 20-year career as one of the world's most marketable athletes.
Even now, in the twilight of his career, Messi is reportedly earning a whopping $135 million by 2024. That made him the second highest-earning soccer player in the world last year while playing in the MLS.
The 37-year-old's Inter Miami contract is worth $20.5 million per season and he has signed huge sponsorship deals with the likes of Adidas, Mastercard and Pepsi. He is believed to have earned more than $1 billion over the course of his career, making him one of a small group of athletes to have reached that threshold.
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