Lionel Messi's real estate investment company, Edificio Rostower Socimi, is being listed on the digital-only Portfolio Stock Exchange as a real-estate investment trust (REIT). The company owns seven hotels and commercial properties. Messi's decision to list Rostower happened swiftly, as the company became a REIT in mid-December. The share price was set at just less than $60 on Monday.
In Spain, REITs receive a special tax rate lower than that of other companies, and investors usually list them to meet legal requirements for that tax regime rather than to raise money. While Messi was born in Argentina and plays for a soccer team based in Miami, he spent most of his life in Spain, moving to the country when he was just 12 years old to play for FC Barcelona’s youth teams. Since then, he’s become one of the most well-known athletes in the world, and his memorabilia regularly sells for a pretty penny on the auction block. When it comes to his Spanish real-estate holdings, Messi acts as the chairman of Rostower’s board. Over the past couple of years, the company has posted losses. Still, its $232 million valuation is quite substantial. Outside of Spain, Messi has a number of other real-estate holdings, too. Just last year, he shelled out $10.8 million on a property in South Florida. That added to his footprint in the Sunshine State, where he also owns at least three multimillion-dollar condos in a Miami suburb. He may be one of the most prolific on the soccer pitch, but Messi is also making his name known on the real-estate market, both stateside and in Spain. When he eventually decides to retire from pro sports, he’ll have his pick of where to spend his time