- The Inter Miami football star just wowed onlookers with his latest Patek Philippe Aquanaut chronograph; he previously went viral for a Louis Vuitton ad with Cristiano Ronaldo
- Since owner David Beckham signed Messi, the two football legends have often been spotted living the high-life together, while WAGs Victoria Beckham and Antonela Roccuzzo are hanging out at weekends
Fans may have noticed that since his move to Miami in July, Lionel Messi seems to be having the time of his life. Not only is he on top scoring form – netting 10 goals in seven games and winning the 2023 Leagues Cup – but he’s been spotted partying with the Beckhams, holidaying in the Caribbean, and grinning from ear to ear every time he’s seen out in public.
As American soccer’s new golden boy, Messi is earning a reported US$50 to US$60 million a season at Inter Miami, per CBS News, and the Argentinian’s love of luxury watches and designer threads continues apace, with style watchers already clocking several striking new timepieces on the star’s wrist in recent weeks.
Here’s a look inside Messi’s fabulous new Miami life …
Multimillion-dollar Miami properties
Lionel Messi has been on a high since joining David Beckham’s team Inter Miami. Photo: AFP
According to Spanish outlet Cadena Ser, Messi and his family are currently staying in a US$9 million flat he previously bought in Miami’s Porsche Design Tower. The exclusive building’s main feature is that it has a car lift, allowing residents to park their vehicles right inside their private suites.
Boasting floor to ceiling windows with stunning views of the Sunny Isles Beach, Messi’s flat also reportedly has its own cinema, golf and racing simulators.
An artist’s impression of the US$30 million mansion in Fort Lauderdale that Lionel Messi is said to be considering. Photo: Prestige Construction
Nevertheless, according to industry tome The Real Deal, “La Pulga” is currently eyeing a much roomier US$30 million mansion in Fort Lauderdale after being spotted looking around it with his wife, Antonela Roccuzzo.
With five bedrooms, seven bathrooms, a pool, gym and helipad – as well as being in a gated neighbourhood with police patrols outside – it would make a secluded base for the family of five during their stay in the US.
Designer Caribbean vacay
Before his official signing with the club, Messi, Roccuzzo and their sons Thiago, Mateo and Ciro jetted off on holiday to the Caribbean, a convenient hop, skip and a jump from their new Floridian base.
Describing the locale as “Paradise”, Roccuzzo posted several photos of the couple on her Instagram, looking just as loved up as ever as they walked hand in hand across white sandy beaches.
And Messi’s go-to luxury brands were on full display too. Pictured wearing a pair of US$500 green Balmain swimming trunks with a cool drink in hand beside the family’s private pool. The 36-year-old could also be seen rocking a pair of Louis Vuitton x Yayoi Kusama trainers in another.
Lionel Messi poses in a pair of Louis Vuitton x Yayoi Kusama trainers with wife Antonela Roccuzzo on their recent Caribbean holiday. Photos: Louis Vuitton; @leomessi/Instagram
Doubtless his luggage for the trip was Louis Vuitton too, since he partnered with the brand and rival footballer Cristiano Ronaldo for a series of ads that went viral last November. Showing the two engaged in a game of chess staged on top of a Louis Vuitton trunk, the ads were reportedly the brainchild of LVMH heir-in-waiting Antoine Arnault, per WWD.
More recently Messi has starred in a series of ads alone for the brand entitled Horizons Never End, and he’s has been spotted wheeling LV luggage through airports from Beijing to Miami.
Partying with the Beckhams
Since buying Inter Miami back in 2021, David Beckham has been keen to get some of the world’s top players onside to boost the club’s performance and create an American team that could compete on the international stage. Since signing Messi, his dreams appear to be coming true – and the two can’t stop celebrating their bromance.
Photo after photo on Instagram shows the footballing stars and their wives living large in Miami, and it’s clear the couples have become firm friends. In one candid snap, Beckham posted a group photo of a dinner with Victoria, Messi, Roccuzzo and Inter Miami player Sergio Busquets and his wife Elena Galera, describing it as “la cena perfecta” (the perfect dinner).
Just one week later, Roccuzzo posted a photo of a girls’ night out at a glamorous Miami restaurant with Victoria and Elena at a table covered in cocktails and desserts.
The following week? Party central again. This time in Miami bar Gekkō with Messi sporting a Balenciaga T-shirt and Roccuzzo and Victoria hugging on the dance floor. Roccuzzo’s Insta caption for the photos? Two sets of clinking champagne glasses.
Messi’s ever-growing luxury watch collection
Messi’s collection of Patek Philippe timepieces is second to none, and since touching down in Miami, he hasn’t disappointed fans.
At his Inter Miami unveiling, the multimillionaire went for a less conventional choice, donning a watch from Patek Philippe’s ladies’ collection – a rose gold Aquanaut Factory set with 40 “rainbow” coloured sapphires. It also happens to be the first-ever automatic chronograph in Patek’s ladies’ line, NYC’s Hodinkee reports.
Seeming to have a watch for every occasion, the star then matched his new baby pink Inter Miami kit to his timepiece when he sported a Patek Philippe 18k rose gold Nautilus with a moon phase for a flight in early August.
Lionel Messi wearing the Patek Philippe Novelty watch, Nautilus 5712/1R in 18K rose gold. Photo: @CrewsMat10/Twitter
He again wowed onlookers with a Patek Philippe Aquanaut Chronograph reference 5968G on a midnight blue, rubber factory strap while arriving for a game, and just last week at Gekkō he wore yet another Nautilus – this time an 18k white gold model with a perpetual calendar, worth around US$240,000 according to watcher spotters.
At this rate, he’d better make sure whichever mansion he decides to buy has a room for all his watches.
