From the court to the business world, these athletes succeed with their businesses

Marketing and globalization have allowed the different sports and organizations that represent them to increase their budgets and the agreements help the teams to pay their athletes amounts that with the passage of time, become real fortunes, for which many start their own businesses ffounding companies outside the sports field, or, exploiting their image to create products with their name.

Throughout many years we have read cases of athletes who, not having basic knowledge about controlling their finances, squandered their money on excesses and luxuries, without thinking that at the end of their glory years they could practically end up on the street. Today, many have become aware that their careers are not eternal and have begun to invest their money consciously, taking advantage of the fame that sports give them.

Here are some examples of athletes who are not only stars within their disciplines, but have found in the business world a way to maintain their fortune and even increase it over time due to the success of their projects.

Lionel Messi

The world champion with Argentina receives 130 million dollars annually for his salary with Paris Saint Germain and his commercial agreements with brands such as Adidas, Pepsi, Budweiser and Hard Rock International.

His income has allowed him to own the chain MIM Hotels, which is managed by the Majestic Group and has six hotels in places like Spain, Sitges, Ibiza, Mallorca, Baqueira Beret and Andorra. It also has The Messi Store, clothing brand focused on the male market, but also sells clothing such as t-shirts, sweatshirts, jackets and pants for children and women.

Since 2018 it has collaborated with Bodegas Bianchi to produce your own wine, called “L10”, which has different varieties of grapes such as: Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, some Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.

Lebron James

The veteran basketball player of the Los Angeles Lakers has a valid contract for two seasons with his current team in exchange for 97.1 million dollars, in addition to having an agreement with NIKE of 30 million dollars annually.

However, “King LeBron” has shares in the Fenway Sports Group, which owns teams like Liverpool FC, the Boston Red Sox and the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins. In addition, he operates his company Spring Hill, which manages the player’s marketing agency and training platforms, this project is worth close to 300 million dollars.

It also has a food chain, Pizza Blazein 2012 they paid less than a million dollars for 10% of the company, but their growth has led them to have more than 300 stores between the United States and Canada, it is estimated that the value of the business is 30 million dollars.

Serena Williams

After a 26-year professional tennis career, winning 23 Grand Slam individual titles, four Olympic gold medals and a total of 73 individual titles, 23 in doubles and two in mixed doubles, it is estimated that the tennis player has earned earnings that exceed 94.6 million dollars.

But since 2014, the best tennis player in history founded Serena Ventures, company dedicated to promoting and developing startups, aimed mainly at African-American women who seek to undertake new projects. By 2019, the smaller of the Williamses had invested in at least 60 small companies.

In an interview for Vogue, Serena boasted that has invested in 16 unicorn companies and that he managed through his company to raise 111 million dollars to invest. At the same time, she runs her own clothing brand and is about to launch her makeup line.

Cristiano Ronaldo

The Portuguese star has earned more than 650 million dollars throughout his career as a soccer player and currently has a current contract with Al Nassr of Saudi Arabia, which would leave him with an income of 400 million euros.

Despite these exorbitant amounts, the fortune of the former Real Madrid striker continues to grow, as he invested 13 million to have his own lodging chain, Pestana CR7 Hotels, in addition to having an agreement with Crunch Franchise, an American company that launched the gCR7 Crunch Fitness gyms.

He has his own line of perfumes, Cristiano Ronaldo Fragances, a brand of sheets and bedding with the CR7 Blankets brand, he has a collection of underwear for men, adults and children, CR7 Underwear and last but not least, he has 10 hair transplant clinics around the world and it is estimated that it leaves profits of about 100 million dollars.