Lionel Messi is famous all over the world for how good he is at football. He has also recently made big steps in business by putting his real estate investment trust (REIT), Edificio Rostower Socimi, on the European Portfolio Stock Exchange.
This clever move has gotten a lot of attention and shows how smart Messi is outside of football.
Edificio Rostower Socimi’s Market Debut
Edificio Rostower Socimi started trading on December 31, 2024, with a share price of €57.4. Its market value reached €223 million by the end of the year. Messi is the head of the board, and Limecu España 2010, the investment vehicle owned by his family, is the only shareholder. (Source)
Antonela Roccuzzo, his wife, is vice-president of the board, which also includes finance experts Alfonso Nebot and Ramón Adell.
Diverse Real Estate Portfolio
The REIT has a very diverse portfolio, with six high-end hotels under the MiM brand that are operated together with Majestic Hotel Group.
Some of the best places for these businesses to be are Andorra, Baqueira, Ibiza, Mallorca, Sitges, and Sotogrande. (Source)
The portfolio also includes a six-story office building in Barcelona, a 2,500-square-meter warehouse in Sitges that is rented out to a store chain, a high-end restaurant in Castelldefels, and homes in Sarrià-Sant Gervasi, Castelldefels, Cala Tarida, Paris, and London.
Financial Performance and Strategic Outlook
The public listing of Edificio Rostower Socimi, even though it reported a loss of €1.7 million in 2023, is a smart move by Messi to make his real estate investments more profitable and secure.
There are tax benefits to the REIT structure, such as a 1% lower company tax rate if at least 80% of profits are paid out as dividends.
It’s worth noting, though, that Spain’s government wants to raise the corporate tax rate for REITs, though this plan hasn’t been approved by lawmakers yet.
Expansion into the U.S. Market
After signing with Inter Miami CF, Messi moved to the United States. This has made people interested in how he might grow his real estate businesses in the U.S.
He bought a waterfront house in South Florida for $10.8 million in 2023, adding to the properties he already owned in the state.
He wants to grow and diversify his investment portfolio across different countries, and this move fits in with that plan.
Broader Business Ventures
Besides real estate, Messi has made a lot more money through other business ventures. His income from image rights went up by 60% in 2023, hitting €86.2 million. Limecu, his parent company, made €15.1 million in sales and €109.3 million in profits. (Source)
Messi has also started an investment company called Play Time Sports-Tech Holdco, which is based in San Francisco and looks for chances in tech and startup businesses.
Challenges and Considerations
Even with these wins, Messi’s real estate projects have had problems. In the middle of 2024, climate protestors damaged his expensive villa in Ibiza, showing how much attention famous homes can get.
There have also been claims of problems with the structure of the Porsche Design Tower in Miami, where Messi owns an £8 million apartment.
Studies show that the building is sinking at a rate that was not expected, which could cause problems for the owners.