In 2023, Lionel Messi looked at a Saudi Pro League contract worth roughly $400 million a year and said no.
Three years later, he is a billionaire.
According to a Bloomberg analysis, the 38-year-old Argentine has crossed $1 billion in net worth, which makes him just the second footballer ever to hit the milestone after his long-time rival Cristiano Ronaldo.
The smaller paycheck somehow paid more.
Messi's reported package at Inter Miami includes yearly pay in the $70 million to $80 million range, which on its own would not have pushed him into 10-figure territory.
What did was the structure of the rest of the deal.
He got equity rights in Inter Miami, which is now valued at roughly $1.45 billion and ranks as the most valuable soccer club in the U.S. He also reportedly negotiated revenue-sharing on Apple's MLS Season Pass, the streaming service Apple runs as part of its deal with Major League Soccer.
Saudi Arabia offered him cash, while Miami offered him a piece of the upside.
Market Briefs breaks down the moves that turn big paychecks into real wealth, delivered in five minutes every weekday morning, plus a free investing masterclass when you sign up.
Messi has earned over $700 million in salary and bonuses since 2007, with the other half of his fortune coming from places investors would recognize.
He has long-running endorsement deals with Adidas, beverage brands, and tech firms, plus a stake in an Argentine restaurant chain.
In 2024 he listed his Spanish real estate company Edificio Rostower Socimi on a Spanish exchange, after building a portfolio of hotels and commercial properties valued at over $230 million.
It is the same playbook Michael Jordan and Roger Federer used to break into billionaire territory: salary funds a career, and equity funds a fortune.
Messi's $1 billion fortune was built largely outside the field, which is the part most investors get wrong about elite athletes.
Salary tops out at a fixed number, while equity in a rising club can keep paying for decades.
That same idea shows up in the way company founders, early hires, and long-term shareholders build wealth - by getting paid in ownership instead of cash.
It is the kind of move smart investors try to copy in their own portfolios.
Cristiano Ronaldo hit billionaire status by going to Saudi Arabia, while Messi got there by refusing to.
Inter Miami's valuation has roughly doubled since he arrived, which means his equity stake is the part of the story worth watching next.
If the club ever sells, that is where his next big check shows up.
Want to see how the smartest investors structure their bets? Join 350,000+ investors reading Market Briefs and pick up a free 45-minute investing course as a sign-up bonus.
