Following into the shadows of his nemesis, Lionel Messi will now become a billionaire, the second player in Football to do so, after Cristiano Ronaldo.
According to a report by Forbes, Lionel Messi is set to earn about £98 million ($126 million) in 2020, and since it is a season where most of the sports have not resumed, $126 million is a pretty significant number.
The $1 billion earned by the Argentine Football star are pre-tax in earnings.
How does Lionel Messi earn that much?
Forbes further reported that Messi is the highest-earning player in 2020, earning £72 million ($92 million) from his salary and £26 million ($34 million) from his endorsements.
Apart from his salary and the bonuses he receives per match, Messi has highly-paying deals with brands like Pepsi, Adidas, and Mastercard.
Messi signed a lifetime deal with Adidas in 2017, which earns him about £9 million ($12 million) a year.
According to a report by Sports Keeda, which has mentioned all of Messi’s endorsements, Messi is the brand ambassador of Tata Motors. Tata Motors named a car “Tiago” after Messi’s son “Thiago.”
He also has his business ventures in Argentina. Also, as per Daily Mail, he owns a luxurious hotel.
After almost leaving Barcelona this summer, his decision to stay will cost the club a lot. The matter is an actual price for a player like Messi, given he has consistently performed well for the club.
Messi signed a deal with Barcelona in 2004 and has given off an impressive performance beyond anyone’s expectations.
Messi inked an extension contract with Barcelona in 2007 (at the age of 20) for £90,000 ($116,000) a week, which was the highest the club pay that time.
Moreover, Messi earned £40 million ($51.8 million) in 2015, leading to double earnings.
Even if he plays only 60% of his games until his contract ends in 2021, he could still earn a whopping £98 million ($126 million) every season. If he were to win the treble and FIFA’s Player of the Year Award, his final figure could climb up to £110 million ($141 million).
Ever since Messi’s deal with Barcelona, he continuously made millions every year and has been featured in Forbes’ top 10 highest-paid athletes.
The billionaire lists
Unfortunately, Messi was not the first player from Football to reach the Billionaire title. Cristiano Ronaldo is just above Messi on the Forbes list; he is on the way to earn £91 million ($117 million) this year alone.
Coming third on the list is Brazil’s Neymar, who recently switched to Puma after his £78 million deal with Nike came to an end. Neymar would probably earn £75 million ($96 million) this year.
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