Messi sets red-hot Miami property market ablaze as he moves to Florida

Soccer

By Jacquelynn Powers Maurice

June 27, 2023 | 1:49pm

Major League Soccer’s seismic recruitment of Lionel Messi, the world’s most famous soccer player, by David Beckham’s Inter Miami CF has created a tsunami of excitement in South Florida — particularly among high-end realtors. 

The deal is said to be worth an estimated $60 million a year, including owning a minority stake in the team.

Negotiations, which are still ongoing, reportedly also include Messi’s receiving profit-sharing from two of MLS’s biggest partners, Apple and Adidas.

And while the World Cup winner could have joined any team on the planet, including an extravagant offer from Saudi Arabia of $1.6 billion over three years, Messi chose Miami, which has a familiar lifestyle to his native Argentina. 

It’s a no brainer, really. In Miami, he can mingle with famous friends, speak Spanish and easily fit into a city known for its Latin population and culture. 

And he already has multiple homes to choose from in the city — but is set to go house-hunting, boosting an already red-hot luxury property market.

In 2019, the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner bought a luxurious condo in the Porsche Design Tower, located in Sunny Isles Beach. He paid $5 million for the 4,400-square-foot apartment, which features oceanfront views, 24-hour security, a heated swimming pool, gym and spa.

Like most of his real estate holdings, it was purchased through an entity called Edificio Rostower through his father, Jorge Messi. Sleuths were able to make the connection, though. 

“The deal was not publicly announced,” said Sebastian Tettamanti, the executive VP of marketing and sales for Dezer Development, the Porsche Design Tower’s developer.

“However, it was leaked at the time and obviously the transaction has been recirculated recently. We have close to 20 billionaires in the Porsche Tower, but we maintain their privacy.”

Most important for Messi? Porsche Design Tower boasts a robotic elevator, called the Dezervator, which allows residents to drive their cars directly to their apartments. Each unit has its own private sky garage, which can accommodate three cars.  

“The Dezervator was created as an alternative to valet parking,” noted Tettamanti, “but our billionaire and famous residents appreciate the privacy factor. They don’t have to go through the lobby, and it’s become a popular amenity for this reason.”

In 2021, Messi bought a bigger condo just a few doors down, paying $7.3 million for the entire ninth floor of the Regalia Tower, located at 19575 Collins Ave. With only 39 residences in total, the building is incredibly exclusive and features six pools, a spa, fitness center, yoga studio, children’s playhouse, chef’s kitchen, and a champagne bar and wine cellar.

The savvy real estate investor also paid just over $1 million each for two units on the 40th and 43rd floors of the nearby Trump Royale tower. 

However, sources say it’s unlikely he’ll live in any of those apartments, noting that with three children, the Messi family prefers houses. 

Two years ago, while in Miami for the the 2021 Copa America Championship, Messi rented a 5-bedroom waterfront mansion on Key Biscayne. The residence at 440 S Mashta Drive was listed for rent for $200,000 per month.

A high-end property will seal Messi’s place at the pinnacle of Miami’s buzzing social scene.

Miami is home to an increasing number of mega celebrities, including Gloria Estefan, Shakira, Ivanka Trump, Giselle, Tom Brady, Cindy Crawford and of course Beckham.

Networking on this level is sure to be tantalizing for Messi’s wife, Antonela Roccuzzo, who is said to be her husband’s sounding board. The native Argentinean is a model and influencer with over 35 million Instagram followers. The stunning brunette has endorsement deals with brands like Alo and Guerlain.

The glamorous couple, who met when they were five and started dating in 2008, are sure to electrify Miami’s practically year-round red carpet scene—from Art Basel to F1—with their star power. 

They are also parents to three sons, Thiago, 10; Mateo, 7; and Ciro, 5.

Luckily, they can lean on a solid network of friends for advice on navigating Miami, including where to send their children to school. 

One of Messi’s closest buddies, Sergio Agüero, lives in nearby Hollywood with his girlfriend Sofia Calzetti. The fellow Argentinian and former Barcelona soccer star bought a $15 million waterfront mansion about ten minutes north of Sunny Isles Beach.

And while Agüero retired due to an irregular heartbeat it is said he will be hanging around the Inter Miami club to bolster and tease his dear friend. 

Then there’s Shakira, one of Miami’s most celebrated residents. The “Hips Don’t Lie” singer goes way back with Leo and Antonella, having been married to Gerard Piqué, who was Messi’s teammate in Barcelona. The former couple attended Messi’s 2017 nuptials in happier times.

Shakira should be able to smooth over some of the transition for the Messi family, having officially moved to the Magic City herself from Barcelona last April, in the wake of her divorce. 

Already, it has been suggested that Shakira has influenced where the Messi family’s children will enroll, specifically Miami Country Day, where her two children Sasha and Milan attend, along with exes Tom Brady and Giselle’s brood, too.

And while there have been have been rumors that Antonela doesn’t get along with Shakira, she showed her support for the singer, liking several thinly-veiled Instagram posts about her breakup, including adding fire emojis to a video for “Session 53,” which seemingly addressed Piqué’s infidelity with his new girlfriend, Clara Chia. 

An estimated 100,000 Argentinians live in Florida, specifically in the Miami-Dade and Fort Lauderdale areas, according to data from the US Census Bureau and projections from the Pew Research Center.

Leo and Antonela are sure to hobnob at Miami Beach’s Faena Hotel, which is owned by fellow Argentine Alan Faena and features a high-end Argentinean restaurant, Los Fuegos By Francis Mallman and is a frequent destination for A-listers.

In Miami Beach, there’s even a “Little Argentina” neighborhood in North Beach filled with authentic restaurants, and where thousands of ex-pats flooded the streets during 2022’s FIFA World Cup championship game. 

Messi prefers privacy and quiet so much that he bought out his neighbors in Barcelona and doubled the size of his $10 million Castelldefels estate.

In 2022, the couple bought a property on Ibiza’s western coast from Swiss businessman Philippe Amon for $12 million. 

But it’s their home in Rosario, Argentina that Messi cherishes the most. Called “The Fortress,” the 25-room mansion is reportedly where he made the decision to play for Inter Miami and where he intends to retire. 

Built on three adjoining plots of land in a gated private estate near the footballer’s home city of Rosario, where he and Antonela grew up and first met, it has a playroom for the children, cinema, gym and underground garage with enough space for 15 cars.

However, with Inter Miami in last place at the moment, Messi won’t have time to visit his other properties. There’s a lot of work to do to bolster his new team’s MLS standings.

But even with their poor record, the Messi effect has already been felt. The team’s Instagram went from 1 million to 8 million followers since the big announcement, making it the number one account for any sports franchise in America. 

Ticket prices have risen exponentially, too. Before Messi, fans were able to attend Inter Miami games for a measly $22. Not anymore. Seats for Messi’s July 21 opening day match against Cruz Azul are going for over $1,000—and up to $10,000 for VIP packages—on resale sites. 

Demand is so high, the DRV-PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, where Inter Miami currently play, is expanding its capacity by 3,000 seats to accommodate 22,000 spectators. 

In 2025, the team will move to its new home, a 25,000-seat stadium in Miami, called Miami Freedom Park.

That’s still a drop in the bucket. Last September, during a friendly World Cup warmup match between Argentina and Honduras, the Hard Rock Stadium sold out its 65,000 seats, buoyed by Messi’s appearance. (He scored two goals during Argentina’s 3-0 victory.)

Messi will also attract fans from Argentina and all over the world to Miami. “This helps solidify Miami as a hotbed for soccer globally,” said Mathew Ratner, Director of Sports and Entertainment Tourism for the Greater Miami Convention & Visitor’s Bureau.

“Inter Miami team owners David Beckham and Jorge Mas have done an excellent job of building this franchise and being at the forefront of MLS.”