World Cup winner Lionel Messi owns a super-rare Ferrari 335 S Spider Scaglietti, which has a valuation higher than what basketball icon Michael Jordan earned in his best-paid season.
Lionel Messi, who guided Argentina to their first FIFA World Cup trophy since 1986 in Qatar in December, is one of the highest-paid players in the world. According to talkSPORT, the 35-year-old currently earns a staggering £43 million in wages at Paris Saint-Germain (PSG). The superstar earns an additional £39.9 million through various endorsements.
Like many of his peers, Messi, too, has a taste for the most exclusive things in the world. The 335 S Spider Scaglietti is one such rare and desirable marvel that the Argentinian has in his collection.
As per GOAL’s report, the red super-sports car, which is one of the four units ever built, cost Lionel Messi a staggering £29.1 million. He reportedly beat Cristiano Ronaldo to the punch to win it at an auction in 2016.
The 4.0-liter car, which can attain a top speed of 300kmph, cost Messi more than what basketball legend Michael Jordan earned in his best-paid NBA campaign. The former Chicago Bulls superstar took home £27.7 million in the 1997-98 season, a cool £1.4 million shy of the cost of Messi’s speed demon.
Jordan has left an everlasting legacy in the world of basketball, winning six NBA championships and taking home six NBA Finals MVP awards.
Lionel Messi and Michael Jordan’s legacies and greatness are comparable, thinks Ivan Rakitic
Lionel Messi’s former Barcelona teammate Ivan Rakitic had a chat with Michael Jordan’s former teammate Toni Kukoc in December 2021.
Speaking on NBA Europe’s YouTube channel, the Croatian midfielder drew parallels between Messi and Jordan, claiming that the superstars had identical legacies in their respective fields.
“For us in soccer, what Messi means is Michael Jordan in basketball,” Rakitic said.
“With both these two guys, they know that without the team behind they’ll never get all they did in their career.”
Lionel Messi is a record goalscorer in Barcelona and Argentina's history. In 16 seasons at Camp Nou, Messi has played 778 games in all competitions, scoring 672 goals and claiming 303 assists. He won 10 La Liga titles and four Champions League trophies in that stretch amongst other honors.
For Argentina, he has thus far played 172 matches, scoring 98 goals and providing 55 assists. He has won one FIFA World Cup and one Copa America with La Albiceleste.