Lionel Messi might have retired from international football, but the GOAT is not slowing down any time soon.
According to Wired, while Messi may be lacing his boots up less frequently in future, he will instead be focusing more on his venture capital set up, Play Time.
Messi launched Play Time HoldCo in October 2022 alongside entrepreneur Razmig Hovaghimian, who also founded the video-streaming platform Viki. The obvious assumption was that this would be a celebrity fund built around football: invest in football clubs, sports apps, fan platforms and Messi’s own unmistakable brand.
While that is certainly part of Play Time’s portfolio – they have backed companies including Matchday, a football gaming business; AC Momento, a platform for football collectibles; and the fantasy football platform Sorare – its investment net has been cast way beyond the beautiful game.
Play Time has also invested in robotics specialists FieldAI, voice tech outfit Fish audio, and SuperAnnotate’s AI infrastructure. One notable investment was with World Labs, founded by AI pioneer Fei-Fei Li, in a $1bn round alongside heavy hitters like Nvidia and AMD.
Lionel Messi has been one of the biggest names in world football for 25 years. By parlaying his stellar career and global brand into venture capital, he represents the blending of sport, celebrity culture and business funding.
With 515 million followers on Instagram, any investment from Play Time will draw considerable attention. Messi’s name brings an entirely different kind of prestige than most other investors.
10 or 15 years ago, athletes would rely on product endorsement, lending their image rights to a brand. Messi’s retirement plans suggest that that’s no longer enough, and that the big names will seek ownership of a much wider portfolio.
Which should be great news for startups. Securing funding is one thing, but getting noticed is another. Backing from a sporting heavyweight wouldn’t just bring capital, it would bring a type of global clout that would normally take years to build up.
Messi is not the only generational football talent who’s looking towards the future. Christiano Ronaldo is also investing in AI and tech. Mo Salah, however, has more traditional concerns, focusing on commercial partnerships, property, and philanthropy.
