{"id":3434,"date":"2026-07-08T21:53:34","date_gmt":"2026-07-08T21:53:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/silvybrand.com\/?p=3434"},"modified":"2026-07-08T21:53:34","modified_gmt":"2026-07-08T21:53:34","slug":"messi-ronaldo-tech-portfolios-salah-playing-a-different-game","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/silvybrand.com\/?p=3434","title":{"rendered":"Messi and Ronaldo Are Building Tech Portfolios. Mo Salah Is Playing a Different Game"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Lionel Messi, Cristiano<\/span> Ronaldo, and Mohamed Salah have spent the past two decades defining one of soccer\u2019s greatest eras. Now, as the 2026 FIFA World Cup<\/a> marks Ronaldo\u2019s final appearance at the tournament and another defining moment in the careers of Messi and Salah, they\u2019re also preparing for life beyond the pitch.<\/p>\n

Before Messi\u2019s Argentina beat Salah\u2019s Egypt in one of the tournament\u2019s best matches on Tuesday, Salah was asked which player he would choose for one final \u201clast dance\u201d from a generation that included both Messi and Ronaldo. He chose Messi without hesitation<\/a>. The answer carried extra weight given that Ronaldo had already confirmed this would be his final FIFA World Cup before Portugal\u2019s Round of 16 defeat to Spain<\/a>, bringing an end to his six-tournament World Cup career.<\/p>\n

Away from football, however, the players\u2019 futures are beginning to diverge. Messi and Ronaldo have increasingly embraced equity stakes in AI<\/a>, health tech, and startup companies, while Salah has largely stuck to a more traditional mix of commercial partnerships, property, and philanthropy.<\/p>\n

That shift has accelerated over the past decade as venture capital firms and startups increasingly seek celebrity investors<\/a> who bring more than money. A footballer with hundreds of millions of followers can offer global reach, credibility, and distribution that few traditional investors can match.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe shift from traditional sponsorship agreements towards equity stakes and startup investments reflects a broader focus on long-term wealth creation and financial security beyond an athlete\u2019s playing career,\u201d says Kamraan Khan, a partner at Dubai-based firm Archers Valuation and Advisory.<\/p>\n

Over the past<\/span> decade, elite athletes have increasingly traded one-off endorsement fees for ownership stakes in companies, joining a broader trend that has seen sports stars become investors rather than just brand ambassadors. In October 2022, Messi launched Play Time HoldCo<\/a>, a San Francisco\u2013based investment firm alongside entrepreneur Razmig Hovaghimian, founder of video-streaming platform Viki, which had earlier been acquired by Rakuten. The firm\u2019s goal is simple: invest in companies operating across sports, media, and technology.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile sponsorships typically generate income during an athlete\u2019s peak earning years, equity investments can provide the potential for capital appreciation and, where applicable, future dividend income, helping to build more sustainable wealth after retirement,\u201d notes Khan.<\/p>\n

Initially reported to be targeting roughly $200 million<\/a>, Play Time has since assembled a portfolio<\/a> that increasingly resembles a Silicon Valley venture fund.<\/p>\n

Per Play Time\u2019s<\/a> website, its bets include FieldAI, Fish Audio, World Labs, Perceptron, Intangible, and SuperAnnotate, alongside sports-specific investments in the FIFA-licensed mobile game Matchday<\/em><\/a> and the memorabilia marketplace AC Momento.<\/p>\n

Outside Play Time, Messi also holds an equity stake in fantasy football platform Sorare<\/a>, which lets users buy and trade officially licensed digital player cards, and joined the ownership group of KR\u00dc Esports<\/a>, the Valorant and Rocket League organization founded by his former Argentina teammate Sergio Ag\u00fcero. His three-year, reportedly $20 million deal<\/a> to serve as global ambassador for the blockchain fan-token platform Socios.com is a paid promotional contract, not an undisclosed equity stake.<\/p>\n

As part of his landmark 2023 move to Inter Miami, Messi received an ownership component alongside his salary and signing bonus\u2014an unprecedented arrangement<\/a> in Major League Soccer. While reports have speculated about the size of that stake, neither the club nor MLS has publicly confirmed the details.<\/p>\n

Sportico valued Inter Miami at $1.45 billion<\/a> in February 2026, up 22 percent year-on-year and the highest valuation in MLS history.<\/p>\n

If Messi\u2019s investments<\/span> reflect Silicon Valley\u2019s AI boom, Ronaldo\u2019s are centered almost entirely on health technology\u2014an area that aligns closely with the personal brand he has spent decades cultivating around fitness and longevity.<\/p>\n

Ronaldo became an investor in Whoop<\/a>\u2014the wearable fitness tracker and health analytics company\u2014in May 2024, a deal that Whoop itself called<\/a> \u201cone of Ronaldo\u2019s most significant investments to date,\u201d after he had already been a paying member for years. \u201cWhoop has become one of the most important tools I use to support my long-term health,\u201d he said at the time. Whoop\u2019s foray into the UAE is backed by both the Qatar Investment Authority and Mubadala Investment Company.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n


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Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Mohamed Salah have spent the past two decades defining one of soccer\u2019s greatest eras. Now, as the 2026 FIFA World Cup marks Ronaldo\u2019s final appearance at the tournament and another defining moment in the careers of Messi and Salah, they\u2019re also preparing for life beyond the pitch. Before Messi\u2019s Argentina […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3435,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[83,141,182,357,354,490],"class_list":["post-3434","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-gadgets","tag-artificial-intelligence","tag-health","tag-investment","tag-sports","tag-startups","tag-world-cup-2026"],"yoast_head":"\nMessi and Ronaldo Are Building Tech Portfolios. 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