How much money does Lionel Messi make in 2023? 

Lionel Messi is the public’s favourite Argentine professional footballer. The current forward of Paris Saint-Germain’s and Argentina’s national teams, his achievements are unparalleled, with seven Ballon d'Or trophies to his name, as well as numerous other individual awards. This is why football fans see him as one of the greatest football players in history. 

He has also won four Champions League titles with Barcelona, ten La Liga titles, and seven Copa del Rey titles. He has scored over 650 goals in his career and has broken numerous records, including becoming Barcelona’s all-time leading scorer. After his performance at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, people started wondering how much he actually earned. 

FIFA World Cup 2022 prize sharing

Starting with the beginning, FIFA had a fixed rate for every participating team. The total sum for paying out prizes for Qatar World Cup was $440 million, and each team got $1.5 million before the tournament started. 

• First place - $42 million (9.54%)
• 2nd place - $30 million (6.81%)
• 3rd place - $27 million (6.13%)
• 4th place - $25 million (5.68%)
• 5th-8th - $17 million/ team (3.86%) 
• 9th-16th place: $13 million/ team (2.94%)
• 17th-32nd place: $9 million/ team (2.04%)

Argentina won the World Cup, so the team received $42 million. Each team member received a sum based on their overall position in the championship. So it’s easy to see that Messi got a better payout than his teammates, but no one disclosed how much they got. 

Messi’s Instagram Traction During World Cup

Instagram and social media played an essential role in football in 2022. The information about each team’s position spread faster, and fans appreciated it. Lionel Messi was among the most followed and shared footballers during the 2022 FIFA World Cup. 

Apart from the prizes he won, Messi’s Instagram also boomed and with the new number of followers, so will his earnings. According to KingCasinoBonus, Messi gained over half a million followers. 

Each follower, like, share and fan engagement was estimated by specialists at around $15 million per year pocket money for Leo Messi. The star can get an average of $34K for a story, $75 for a post and up to double for a video. 

The Messi Store  

The Messi Store is the official online store that sells Leo Messi’s brand products. The store was launched in 2019 and offered a wide range of products, including polos, t-shirts, hoodies, footwear, accessories and general men’s apparel. 

They all have Messi’s name, logo or signature on them. Fans consider his website’s prices affordable and good quality products and collectables. 

One of the wealthiest athletes 

Messi’s salary has varied throughout his career. In 2021, he signed a two-year contract with Paris Saint-Germain, reportedly paying him €35 million ($41 million) annually. Before that, he spent over two decades at Barcelona, where he was one of the highest-paid footballers in the world, with a reported salary of around €70 million ($82 million) per year. 

According to Forbes, Lionel Messi is one of the best-paid athletes. His current salary is still $41 million early. In 2022 he made approximately $75 million from matches, performances and salary bonuses, and an additional $55 million from other off-field endorsements. 

In comparison, Cristiano Ronaldo had a total of $60 million earned from the 2022 games and about the same amount of $55 million from deals, ads and competitions. So Messi had about $15 million more than Ronaldo last year. 

This year, however, Ronaldo received a contract of 62 million pounds, i.e. $74 million, surpassing his current status. So in 2024, Ronaldo would probably steal his “best-paid football player” title. 

Advertising

During his impressive career, he also claimed money from his different endorsements, ads, and titles won. He has earned significant money throughout his career from his contracts with Barcelona and endorsements with companies such as Adidas, Pepsi, and Huawei. 

Although there is no leaked information about how much he might get from these partnerships, the footballer is known for being expensive and worthy. 

An interesting fact about him is that he constantly refused to participate in and promote gambling-related activities. He might display casino logos when playing for PSG due to the team’s deals and sponsorships, but Messi won’t promote gambling on his personal Instagram account.

Why is Messi so popular?

Millions love Messi because he has some of the most incredible dribbling and scoring abilities. His background shows how much he had to work to get there, and this inspires people. Messi also remained humble and constantly donated money to charities and people in need. He is a familist and cares about others. The Argentinian footballer always puts the spotlight on his wife, teammates and important people in his life. 

Lionel Messi has spent most of his career with Barcelona, and his loyalty to the club has earned him the respect and admiration of millions of fans. He also remained loyal to Argentina’s National Team even though some criticised this decision.