Messi and Ronaldo Prepare for Post-Career with AI Investments

Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Mohamed Salah—three titans who have steered the football world for the past two decades—are now turning their focus to life beyond the pitch, particularly as the 2026 FIFA World Cup serves as a defining moment. According to a Wired report, their strategies are diverging sharply. While Messi and Ronaldo accelerate equity investments in AI (Artificial Intelligence), health tech, and startups, Salah has opted for a more traditional route, focusing on commercial partnerships, real estate, and philanthropy.

The shift towards equity investments by athletes as a means of wealth-building post-retirement has become increasingly prominent over the past decade. Unlike traditional sponsorship agreements, which primarily provide short-term income during an athlete’s active career, equity ownership enables the creation of long-term wealth through capital gains and dividends. Kamran Khan, a partner at the Dubai-based valuation and advisory firm Archers Valuation and Advisory, told Wired, “The transition from sponsorship deals to equity investments reflects a growing awareness among athletes about securing their financial futures post-retirement.”

Messi and Ronaldo’s Investment Shift

In October 2022, Messi founded the San Francisco-based investment firm Play Time HoldCo. His co-founder, Razmig Hovaghimian, is the entrepreneur behind the video streaming platform Viki, which was acquired by Rakuten. The firm’s goal is to invest in companies operating across sports, media, and technology sectors. Initial reports suggested Play Time aimed to raise approximately $200 million in funding.

Similarly, Ronaldo has been actively investing in equity within the AI and health tech sectors. What sets both athletes apart is their move beyond being mere brand ambassadors; they are strengthening their roles as active investors who engage in the management of the businesses they back. Messi’s Play Time has been likened to a Silicon Valley venture fund, building a diverse portfolio.

Play Time HoldCo’s Portfolio

According to Play Time’s official website, its investment portfolio spans a wide range of industries. In the AI sector, the firm has invested in companies such as FieldAI (image recognition platform), Fish Audio (voice synthesis startup), World Labs (3D spatial intelligence), Perceptron (neural network research), Intangible (data management tools), and SuperAnnotate (annotation platform).

In the sports domain, Play Time has backed FIFA-authorized mobile game “Matchday” and sports merchandise marketplace “AC Momento.” These investments aim to leverage Messi’s personal brand for synergistic growth. Additionally, reports indicate that Messi personally holds shares in a fantasy football company.

Regarding Ronaldo, Wired’s article did not disclose specific companies within his portfolio. However, the fact that both athletes allocate funds to similar sectors suggests an ongoing paradigm shift among top-tier athletes.

Salah’s Traditional Wealth-Building Approach

On the other hand, Liverpool and Egyptian national team star Mohamed Salah has taken a different path. Instead of investing in AI or startups, Salah continues to focus on traditional wealth-building strategies such as commercial partnerships (sponsorship deals), real estate investments, and philanthropy.

The Wired article describes Salah’s approach as a “traditional mix,” highlighting his cautious stance towards high-risk tech investments like those pursued by Messi and Ronaldo. This divergence not only reflects differences in investment styles but also underlying philosophical differences about post-retirement career trajectories.

Evolution in Athlete Investments

Kamran Khan notes that “Equity investments offer the potential to build sustainable assets post-retirement through capital gains and future dividend income.” However, equity investments also come with risks, including price volatility and liquidity challenges. Investments in tech startups, in particular, are inherently high-risk, high-reward ventures, with the potential for massive returns but also complete losses.

Salah’s choice to avoid such uncertainties can be seen as a rational approach. He remains a leading figure on the pitch, and his strategy of balancing short-term income maximization with stable asset-building through traditional methods is by no means inferior.

As highlighted by Wired, Messi and Ronaldo have started to focus on their post-football careers in earnest, using the 2026 World Cup as a turning point. Messi’s Argentina defeated Salah’s Egypt, while Ronaldo’s Portugal was eliminated by Spain in the Round of 16. These events not only marked the culmination of their stellar careers on the field but also heralded a new chapter for them as investors.

Editorial Opinion

In the short term, other top athletes might follow Messi and Ronaldo’s footsteps, ramping up equity investments in AI and health tech sectors after the 2026 World Cup. Comparisons with Salah’s traditional approach are likely to spark lively debates in the media, bringing greater attention to athletes’ investment strategies. This trend is expected to intensify competition among startups to attract celebrity investors.

In the long term, it’s possible that investing will become a normalized aspect of athletes’ second careers, fostering a closer integration between sports and technology ecosystems. However, there’s a risk that athletes’ brand value could overly influence the valuation of startups, potentially distorting fundamental metrics. Building a sustainable ecosystem will require athletes to develop expertise in their chosen areas and maintain appropriate governance with the companies they invest in.

The question the editorial team poses is whether tech investments by athletes genuinely contribute to the growth of startups or simply serve as an extension of brand marketing. Particularly in highly technical fields like AI, it’s crucial to critically assess the actual value that athletes bring as investors.

References

• Wired: Messi and Ronaldo Are Building Tech Portfolios. Mo Salah Is Playing a Different Game — Published July 8, 2026