Lionel Messi reaches $1 billion in career earnings after Inter Miami move

Lionel Messi has entered football’s billionaire club, according to Bloomberg, joining Cristiano Ronaldo as one of the rare athletes whose career earnings have surpassed US$1 billion. The milestone comes despite Messi turning down a reported massive offer from Saudi Arabia to sign with Inter Miami, underscoring how his income has been built not only on salary but also on a long-running network of endorsements, business deals and commercial partnerships.

Bloomberg reported that the Argentine star reached the threshold through a combination of recent pay and sponsorship income, including his move to Major League Soccer and related commercial arrangements in the United States. The reporting says Messi rejected an eye-watering Saudi contract, opting instead for Inter Miami, where his presence has become central to the club’s profile and to MLS’s broader effort to expand its global audience.

Messi’s path is notable because it differs from the increasingly common strategy of players taking the biggest guaranteed payday available in Saudi football. Instead, Bloomberg’s reporting indicates that his U.S. deal package has been structured around more than just wages, with commercial opportunities helping make the move financially competitive. That reflects the influence Messi continues to command far beyond the pitch, where his brand value remains among the strongest in world sport.

The development also highlights how much top athletes can earn from the modern sports economy, where endorsements, media partnerships and ownership-style arrangements can rival or exceed playing salaries. In Messi’s case, his move to the United States tied him to a fast-growing market and to one of soccer’s most visible clubs, while preserving the global appeal that has fueled sponsorship deals for years.

For Inter Miami and MLS, Messi’s billionaire status is another sign of the scale of the gamble they took in bringing him to the league. The move has already paid off in attention, ticket demand and international visibility, and his latest financial milestone adds to the sense that his arrival was not just a sporting coup but a landmark commercial one as well.

Messi’s place in the billionaire ranks also reinforces a broader shift in global sport, where a handful of transcendent athletes can now build fortunes comparable to major business figures. As Bloomberg notes, he is one of the few footballers to reach that level, and he has done so while choosing a U.S. club over a record Saudi offer — a decision that has reshaped both his own legacy and the business of soccer.