Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Mohamed Salah have spent the past two decades defining one of football’s greatest eras. Now, as the 2026 FIFA World Cup marks Ronaldo’s final appearance at the tournament and another defining moment in the careers of Messi and Salah, they’re also preparing for life beyond the pitch.
Messi and Salah will face each other at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Tuesday, with only one advancing to the FIFA World Cup quarter finals. Messi enters the match as one of the tournament’s standout performers, tied near the top of the Golden Boot race with seven goals. Salah, meanwhile, has helped Egypt reach the knockout stages for the first time in the country’s history following its Round of 16 victory over Australia.
Only days before the match, Salah was asked which player he would choose for one final “last dance” from a generation that included both Messi and Ronaldo. He chose Messi without hesitation. The answer carried extra weight given that Ronaldo had already confirmed this would be his final FIFA World Cup before Portugal’s Round of 16 defeat to Spain, bringing an end to his six-tournament World Cup career.
Away from football, however, their futures are beginning to diverge. Messi and Ronaldo have increasingly embraced equity stakes in AI, health-tech and startup companies, while Salah has largely stuck to a more traditional mix of commercial partnerships, property and philanthropy.
That shift has accelerated over the past decade as venture capital firms and startups increasingly seek celebrity investors 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.
“The 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’s playing career,” says Kamraan Khan, partner and built environment lead at Archers Valuation Advisory.
“While sponsorships typically generate income during an athlete’s 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,” adds Khan.
From Sponsorship to Equity
Over the past 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 San Francisco-based investment firm alongside entrepreneur Razmig Hovaghimian, founder of video-streaming platform Viki, which was later acquired by Rakuten. The firm’s goal is simple: invest in companies operating across sports, media and technology.
Initially reported to be targeting roughly $200 million, Play Time has since assembled a portfolio that increasingly resembles a Silicon Valley venture fund.
As per Play Time’s website, its bets include FieldAI, Fish Audio, World Labs, Perceptron, Intangible and SuperAnnotate, alongside sports-specific investments in the FIFA-licensed mobile game Matchday and the memorabilia marketplace AC Momento.
