Lionel Messi Purchases Shuttered Shopping Center

It’s been years since Lionel Messi kicked a ball for FC Barcelona, but that hasn’t stopped the legend from kicking the tires on business opportunities there, including in real estate.

Edificio Rostower Socimi, the real estate investment trust owned by Messi, acquired the former Via Wagner shopping center in the city for €11.5 million ($13.5 million) Bloomberg reported. The deal for the 43,000-square-foot property breaks down to nearly $314 per square foot.

Investment fund Santomera Bay sold the property, which has been shuttered for more than three decades. Rostower plans to renovate the building before putting it up for rent, according to Santomera; the property in Turó Park traded hands just last year.

A representative for Messi did not respond to a request for comment. Forbes España first reported the property deal.

While Messi suits up for Inter Miami CF in Major League Soccer, he has branched out to the business world. Last year, he listed Rostower on a Spanish exchange with a €223 million valuation, which hasn’t changed much due to its lack of liquidity. The company’s real estate portfolio includes office buildings, parking garages and hotels, including the MiM Hotels brand that operates in Ibiza and Mallorca, as well as other cities.

A few weeks ago, Messi also acquired fifth-division Spanish football team Unió Esportiva Cornellà, which is based outside of Barcelona, the city he started calling home at just 12 years old.

The Argentinian national debuted for Barcelona’s senior club in 2004 and spent 17 years racking up titles and records with the team. After a brief run in France with Paris Saint-Germain, Messi joined the MLS in July 2023 in an unprecedented deal that included an equity stake in his team.

A couple of months later, Messi and his wife, Antonela Roccuzzo, acquired a 10,500-square-foot, eight-bedroom estate in Fort Lauderdale’s Bay Colony through a company led by Messi’s wealth manager, Alfonso Nebot. John and Stacy Dickerson sold the property at 91 Compass Lane to Messi and Roccuzzo for $10.8 million.

— Holden Walter-Warner