Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo and Mohamed Salah have spent the last two decades defining one of the greatest eras in football. Now, with the 2026 FIFA World Cup being Ronaldo’s final appearance at the tournament and another defining moment in the careers of Messi and Salah, the players are also preparing for life off the pitch.
Before Messi’s Argentina beat Salah’s Egypt in one of the best matches of the tournament on Tuesday, Salah was asked which player he would choose for the final “last dance” of a generation that included both Messi and Ronaldo. He chose Messi without hesitation. The answer carried extra weight given that Ronaldo had already confirmed that this would be his last FIFA World Cup before Portugal’s round of 16 defeat to Spainwhich ended his six-tournament World Cup career.
However, outside of football, the future of the players begins to differ. Messi and Ronaldo have increasingly taken stakes in artificial intelligence, health technology and start-up companies, while Salah has largely stuck to a more conventional mix of commercial partnerships, real estate and philanthropy.
This change has accelerated over the past decade as the number of venture capital firms and startups grows look for celebrity investors who bring more than money. A footballer with hundreds of millions of followers can offer global reach, credibility and distribution that few conventional investors can match.
“The shift from traditional sponsorship deals towards equity stakes and start-up investments reflects a broader focus on long-term wealth creation and financial security beyond an athlete’s career,” says Kamraan Khan, partner at Dubai-based Archers Valuation and Advisory.
Over the past decades, elite athletes have increasingly traded one-time endorsement fees for company shares, joining a broader trend in which sports stars have become investors rather than just brand ambassadors. In October 2022, Messi started HoldCo game timea San Francisco-based investment firm working with entrepreneur Razmig Hovaghimian, founder of the video streaming platform Viki, previously acquired by Rakuten. The company’s goal is plain: to invest in companies operating in the field of sports, media and technology.
“While sponsorships typically generate income during an athlete’s peak earnings years, equity investments can provide the potential for capital appreciation and, where appropriate, future dividend income, helping to build more lasting wealth after retirement,” notes Khan.
It was initially reported to be aiming approximately 200 million dollarsPlay Time has since assembled wallet which increasingly resembles a Silicon Valley venture capital fund.
For Game time website, its bets include FieldAI, Fish Audio, World Labs, Perceptron, Theoretical and SuperAnnotate, as well as sports-specific investments in Mobile game licensed by FIFA Match day and the AC Momento souvenir market.
In addition to his playing time, Messi also owns a stake in a fantasy football platform Sisterwhich allows users to buy and trade officially licensed digital player cards and has joined the ownership group KRÜ E-sportsthe Valorant and Rocket League organization founded by his former Argentine teammate, Sergio Agüero. His three-year-old reportedly a $20 million deal serving as a global ambassador for the Socios.com fan blockchain platform is a paid promotional arrangement, not an undisclosed equity stake.
As part of his landmark move to Inter Miami in 2023, Messi received an ownership component along with his salary and signing bonus – an unusual arrangement in Major League Soccer. While reports have speculated on the size of that bid, neither the club nor MLS has publicly confirmed the details.
Sporty valued Inter Miami at $1.45 billion in February 2026, representing a 22 percent year-over-year raise and the highest valuation in MLS history.
If Messi’s investments reflecting the artificial intelligence boom in Silicon Valley, Ronaldo is focusing almost exclusively on health technology – an area that aligns closely with his personal brand, which he has cultivated over decades with a focus on fitness and longevity.
Ronaldo became an investor in Whoop– fitness tracking and health analytics company – in May 2024 Sam Whoop called “one of Ronaldo’s most important investments to date,” even though he had already been a paying member for years. “Whoop has become one of the most important tools I use to support my long-term health,” he said at the time. Whoop’s trip to the United Arab Emirates is supported by both the Qatar Investment Authority and Mubadala Investment Company.