Lionel Messi from Argentina is earning millions and, at the same time, using his enormous net worth to give deserving kids a helping chance. No wonder he is known as the GOAT (Greatest Of All Time).
Lionel Messi is the highest-paid soccer player globally and also the highest-paid athlete in all sports. He scored 672 goals in 778 games and earned the majority of his wealth during his time in FC Barcelona. On August 10, 2021, FC Barcelona announced that Messi would transfer to Paris Saint-Germain.
| Net worth | $600 Million |
| Date of birth | June 24, 1987 |
| Gender | Male |
| Height | 5 ft 6 in (1.69 m) |
| Profession | Football player |
| Nationality | Argentina |
Lionel Messi and his net worth
His 2017 contract with FC Barcelona gave Messi a base annual salary of $168 million. Moreover, he is paid $40 million a year from endorsements. Thus, he made around $200 million per year, and his net worth is $600 million.
The star has now moved to Paris Saint-Germain to compete in Ligue 1 where he earns a bigger chunk than ever before. His total earnings would be close to $1.5 billion by the time he completes his signing. However, not many know what Lionel Messi does with his net worth.
Early life
Lionel Messi was born in Rosario, a city in Argentina, in 1987. His father was a steelworker at a factory, and his mother was a part-time cleaner. Their entire family would play soccer together most of the time, and Messi joined the Rosario soccer club when he was six years old and later played for Newell’s Old Boys.
Lionel Messi moved to Spain when he was ten years old, as he was diagnosed with a growth hormone deficiency. Carles Rexach, the sporting director of FC Barcelona back then, promised to offer medical treatment for Messi’s deficiency if the family moved to Spain.
Start of a dream
Messi’s father agreed to this, and they moved to Barcelona in February 2001. After a year, Messi joined the Royal Spanish Football Federation and became a part of the Baby Dream Team that comprises Barcelona’s best young soccer players. knowledgeable enthusiastic
Messi’s present home at Pedrables in Barcelona is valued to be worth at least $10 million today. He bought the house in 2009 for $2 million and spent millions on renovating it. Messi also bought a condo for $5 million in Miami in 2019. In addition, he purchased the ninth floor of a building in Miami for $7.3 million.
Charity
In March 2020, Messi donated $1 million to fight the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. In fact, Messi and many other players in FC Barcelona took a 70% pay cut so that the club would be able to pay wages to non-playing staff.
Messi founded the Leo Messi Foundation in 2007 that helps underprivileged children find better opportunities for education and health care. He founded this organization after a visit to a children’s hospital in Boston — Messi said that the visit had profoundly changed him.
Helping hand
Since March 2010, Messi became a Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF. He has been to Haiti with UNICEF to create awareness for children. Leo Messi foundation also gave $218,000 to UNICEF projects in Kenya in February 2019. The project in Kenya would provide access to free drinking water and food to nearly 2,000 children.
Messi also does individual fundraising activities like hosting football matches to raise money for charities. Messi constantly funds junior football clubs like Rosario Central, Sarmiento, Boca Junior, and Newell’s River Plate in Argentina.
He also constructed a gym and dorm for Newell in 2012. Messi’s former coach is a talent scout for young players at Leo Messi Foundation. Here is how other celebrities, including Kanye West, Taylor Swift and Kylie Jenner are using their net worth for good.
