- Lionel Messi launched his €223 million real estate investment trust, Edificio Rostower Socimi, on the Spanish stock market
- The REIT, owned through Messi’s family firm Limecu España 2010, plans to open up to new investors despite reporting a €1.7 million loss in 2023
- The company’s assets include hotels, offices, and apartments across Spain, Andorra, London, and Paris, marking Messi’s strategic financial move post-retirement plans
Lionel Messi, the legendary Argentine footballer, has added another milestone to his career, this time off the pitch.
The Inter Miami star and former FC Barcelona icon made headlines with the debut of his real estate investment trust, Edificio Rostower Socimi, on the Spanish stock market. The trust launched at €57.4 per share, securing a market valuation of €223 million ($232.12 million).
Documents from Spain’s Portfolio Stock Exchange, an alternative European trading platform, confirm that Messi serves as the chairman of Edificio Rostower's board. The trust’s sole shareholder is Limecu España 2010, Messi’s family investment firm. However, according to Santiago Navarro, CEO of the Portfolio Stock Exchange, the real estate investment trust (REIT) plans to open up to external investors in the future.
The Portfolio Stock Exchange, established in 2023, operates differently from traditional markets. Trading only occurs when companies wish to sell shares or raise capital. Navarro mentioned that this approach offers lower costs, greater flexibility, and control compared to initial public offerings (IPOs). Shareholder approval is required before any purchase request is processed.
Messi’s Edificio Rostower boasts a diverse property portfolio, including seven hotels across Spain and Andorra, three office spaces, and five apartments in Spain. It also holds properties in London and Paris. Despite its impressive assets, the company reported a €1.7 million loss in 2023, as revealed in the stock exchange filings.
The bulk of the trust’s holdings lie in Catalonia, the region Messi has called home since joining FC Barcelona’s youth academy in 2000 at the age of 13. Messi, now 37, spent over two decades in the city before moving to Paris Saint-Germain in 2021 due to Barcelona’s financial struggles. He has expressed plans to return to Barcelona with his family after retiring from professional football.
The company’s leadership also includes Messi’s wife, Antonella Roccuzzo, as vice-president, alongside Alfonso Nebot, who manages Messi’s family office, and Ramon Adell, a board member of Spanish energy giant Naturgy.
Messi’s move into real estate investment comes amid ongoing debates over Spain’s proposed corporate tax reforms targeting REITs. While the government seeks to raise tax rates for such trusts, parliamentary approval remains elusive.
2024 Ballon d'Or: Who will reign in a new era without Messi and Ronaldo?
Previously, TheRadar reported that as the 2024 Ballon d'Or approaches, excitement builds for one of the most anticipated nights in football.
The prestigious awards ceremony, which will be held in Paris on October 28, promises to crown the year’s finest talents, and for the first time in two decades, the footballing world must look beyond the iconic duo of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, with neither legend in the running for the men's prize, the stage is set for a new rivalry to rise.
