Lionel Messi Adds Budweiser And OrCam Endorsements Ahead Of Barcelona Season Kickoff

It has been a whirlwind month for Lionel Messi, as speculation of where the global soccer icon would play the 2020-21 season captivated the sports world. After pushing for a release from his contract at Barcelona without triggering a $825 million exit clause, Messi begrudgingly returned to training Monday with the world’s second most valuable soccer club.

The business of Lionel Messi marches on as well, as his club prepares to host Gimnastic in a friendly on Saturday—Messi is not likely to suit up. Barca is expected to pay the forward roughly $92 million this season, including performance incentives. The six-time Balloon d’Or winner also has a pair of new endorsement deals, boosting his $30 million-plus annual off-pitch earnings.

Anheuser-Busch InBev brand Budweiser unveiled its three-year sponsorship with Messi Tuesday through a new 45-second commercial that plays off his summer drama with Barcelona.

“They said he was too small. Now they say he’s grown too big. They say he’s stopped loving the city. They say his heart’s not in it. They say the dynasty is over. They say his greatness is gone. So, what does he say,” asks the narrator? It wraps with the taglines of “Never give up on greatness” and “Be a King.”

Messi-branded Budweiser bottles will be available in select bars and retailers in Argentina, Chile, China, Columbia, India, Russia, Spain and Vietnam.

Messi unveiled another endorsement Wednesday morning on his social media channels, which have a combined 257 million followers on Instagram and Facebook, second most in sports behind longtime rival Cristiano Ronaldo.

He is partnering with OrCam Technologies, which uses AI-driven computer vision to provide increased independence to people who are blind or visually impaired. The OrCam MyEye device reads printed and digital text aloud and can also recognize faces and consumer products. The Israeli-based firm was founded in 2010 and has raised $86 million in venture funding, according to Crunchbase; it was valued at $1 billion in 2018.

An OrCam spokesperson says the company was drawn to Messi as a global ambassador because he is a symbol for overcoming physical barriers. Messi famously endured human growth hormone treatment when he was so small as a pre-teen and became arguably the greatest soccer player ever.

The three-year partnership between Messi and OrCam was sealed just ahead of the coronavirus pandemic but was not announced until today. Messi hosted a meet-and-greet in March in Barcelona with 12 blind and visually impaired individuals from around the world and will continue those kinds of meetings moving forward.

Other Messi endorsement partners include Adidas, Lays, Mastercard
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, watchmaker Jacob & Co and Qatar-based telecom Ooredoo. Messi is on track to be only the fourth athlete to earn $1 billion during their careers while still active, joining Tiger Woods, Floyd Mayweather and Cristiano Ronaldo.