Messi and Ronaldo Are Building Tech Portfolios. Mo Salah Is Playing a Different Game
Messi and Ronaldo Are Building Tech Portfolios. Mo Salah Is Playing a Different Game
梅西与C罗正在构建科技投资组合，萨拉赫则选择了不同的赛道
Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Mohamed Salah have spent the past two decades defining one of soccer’s greatest eras. Now, as the 2026 FIFA World Cup marks Ronaldo’s final appearance at the tournament and another defining moment in the careers of Messi and Salah, they’re also preparing for life beyond the pitch. 在过去的二十年里，利昂内尔·梅西、克里斯蒂亚诺·罗纳尔多（C罗）和穆罕默德·萨拉赫共同定义了足球史上最伟大的时代之一。如今，随着2026年国际足联世界杯成为C罗的谢幕演出，同时也成为梅西和萨拉赫职业生涯中又一个决定性的时刻，他们也正在为退役后的生活做准备。
Before Messi’s Argentina beat Salah’s Egypt in one of the tournament’s best matches on Tuesday, Salah was asked which player he would choose for one final “last dance” from a generation that included both Messi and Ronaldo. He chose Messi without hesitation. The answer carried extra weight given that Ronaldo had already confirmed this would be his final FIFA World Cup before Portugal’s Round of 16 defeat to Spain, bringing an end to his six-tournament World Cup career. 在周二梅西领衔的阿根廷队击败萨拉赫领衔的埃及队（本届赛事最精彩的比赛之一）之前，萨拉赫被问及如果要在包含梅西和C罗在内的这一代球员中选择一人完成最后的“最后一舞”，他会选谁。他毫不犹豫地选择了梅西。考虑到C罗在葡萄牙队于16强赛输给西班牙队之前，已经确认这将是他职业生涯最后一次参加世界杯，从而结束了他六届世界杯的征程，萨拉赫的这个回答显得分量十足。
Away from football, however, the players’ futures are beginning to diverge. Messi and Ronaldo have increasingly embraced equity stakes in AI, health tech, and startup companies, while Salah has largely stuck to a more traditional mix of commercial partnerships, property, and philanthropy. 然而，在足球场外，这几位球星的未来规划正开始出现分歧。梅西和C罗越来越多地涉足人工智能、健康科技和初创企业的股权投资，而萨拉赫则主要坚持传统的商业模式，即商业代言、房地产投资和慈善事业的组合。
That shift has accelerated over the past decade as venture capital firms and startups increasingly seek celebrity investors who bring more than money. A footballer with hundreds of millions of followers can offer global reach, credibility, and distribution that few traditional investors can match. 过去十年里，这种转变不断加速，因为风险投资公司和初创企业越来越青睐那些不仅能提供资金，还能带来额外价值的名人投资者。一位拥有数亿粉丝的足球运动员所能提供的全球影响力、公信力和分销渠道，是极少数传统投资者所能比拟的。
“The shift from traditional sponsorship agreements towards equity stakes and startup investments reflects a broader focus on long-term wealth creation and financial security beyond an athlete’s playing career,” says Kamraan Khan, a partner at Dubai-based firm Archers Valuation and Advisory. 迪拜Archers Valuation and Advisory公司的合伙人卡姆兰·汗（Kamraan Khan）表示：“从传统的赞助协议向股权投资和初创企业投资的转变，反映出运动员们更广泛地关注职业生涯之外的长期财富创造和财务保障。”
Over the past decade, elite athletes have increasingly traded one-off endorsement fees for ownership stakes in companies, joining a broader trend that has seen sports stars become investors rather than just brand ambassadors. In October 2022, Messi launched Play Time HoldCo, a San Francisco–based investment firm alongside entrepreneur Razmig Hovaghimian, founder of video-streaming platform Viki, which had earlier been acquired by Rakuten. The firm’s goal is simple: invest in companies operating across sports, media, and technology. 在过去十年中，精英运动员越来越多地将一次性的代言费换成公司的所有权股份，这顺应了一个更广泛的趋势：体育明星正逐渐从单纯的品牌大使转变为投资者。2022年10月，梅西与视频流媒体平台Viki的创始人拉兹米格·霍瓦吉米安（Razmig Hovaghimian，该平台此前已被乐天收购）共同创立了位于旧金山的投资公司Play Time HoldCo。该公司的目标很简单：投资于体育、媒体和技术领域的公司。
“While sponsorships typically generate income during an athlete’s peak earning years, equity investments can provide the potential for capital appreciation and, where applicable, future dividend income, helping to build more sustainable wealth after retirement,” notes Khan. 汗指出：“虽然赞助通常只在运动员收入巅峰期产生收益，但股权投资可以提供资本增值的潜力，并在适当时提供未来的股息收入，从而帮助运动员在退役后建立更可持续的财富。”
Initially reported to be targeting roughly $200 million, Play Time has since assembled a portfolio that increasingly resembles a Silicon Valley venture fund. Per Play Time’s website, its bets include FieldAI, Fish Audio, World Labs, Perceptron, Intangible, and SuperAnnotate, alongside sports-specific investments in the FIFA-licensed mobile game Matchday and the memorabilia marketplace AC Momento. 据最初报道，Play Time的目标规模约为2亿美元，此后它组建的投资组合越来越像一家硅谷风险投资基金。根据Play Time官网显示，其投资项目包括FieldAI、Fish Audio、World Labs、Perceptron、Intangible和SuperAnnotate，此外还包括针对体育领域的投资，如获得国际足联授权的手机游戏Matchday和纪念品交易平台AC Momento。
Outside Play Time, Messi also holds an equity stake in fantasy football platform Sorare, which lets users buy and trade officially licensed digital player cards, and joined the ownership group of KRÜ Esports, the Valorant and Rocket League organization founded by his former Argentina teammate Sergio Agüero. His three-year, reportedly $20 million deal to serve as global ambassador for the blockchain fan-token platform Socios.com is a paid promotional contract, not an undisclosed equity stake. 除了Play Time，梅西还持有梦幻足球平台Sorare的股权，该平台允许用户购买和交易官方授权的数字球员卡。他还加入了KRÜ Esports的所有者团队，这是一家由他前阿根廷国家队队友塞尔吉奥·阿圭罗创立的《无畏契约》（Valorant）和《火箭联盟》电竞组织。他与区块链粉丝代币平台Socios.com签署的三年期（据报道价值2000万美元）全球大使协议属于付费推广合同，而非未披露的股权投资。
As part of his landmark 2023 move to Inter Miami, Messi received an ownership component alongside his salary and signing bonus—an unprecedented arrangement in Major League Soccer. While reports have speculated about the size of that stake, neither the club nor MLS has publicly confirmed the details. Sportico valued Inter Miami at $1.45 billion in February 2026, up 22 percent year-on-year and the highest valuation in MLS history. 作为2023年转会迈阿密国际这一里程碑式交易的一部分，梅西除了薪水和签字费外，还获得了俱乐部的一部分所有权——这在美国职业足球大联盟（MLS）中是前所未有的安排。尽管有报道猜测该股份的规模，但俱乐部和MLS均未公开确认细节。Sportico在2026年2月对迈阿密国际的估值为14.5亿美元，同比增长22%，是MLS历史上最高的估值。
If Messi’s investments reflect Silicon Valley’s AI boom, Ronaldo’s are centered almost entirely on health technology—an area that aligns closely with the personal brand he has spent decades cultivating around fitness and longevity. 如果说梅西的投资反映了硅谷的人工智能热潮，那么C罗的投资则几乎完全集中在健康科技领域——这一领域与他几十年来围绕健身和长寿所打造的个人品牌高度契合。
Ronaldo became an investor in Whoop—the wearable fitness tracker and health analytics company—in May 2024, a deal that Whoop itself called “one of Ronaldo’s most significant investments to date,” after he had already been a paying member for years. “Whoop has become one of the most important tools I use to support my long-term health,” he said at the time. Whoop’s foray into the UAE is backed by both the Qatar Investment Authority and Mubadala Investment Company. 2024年5月，C罗成为可穿戴健身追踪器和健康分析公司Whoop的投资者。在投资之前，他已经作为付费用户使用了多年。Whoop称这笔交易是“C罗迄今为止最重要的投资之一”。他当时表示：“Whoop已成为我支持长期健康最重要的工具之一。”Whoop进军阿联酋市场得到了卡塔尔投资局和穆巴达拉投资公司的支持。
Ronaldo’s most concrete move came in February 2026, when he paid $7.5 million for a 10 percent stake in HBL Pro2col Software, the Herbalife subsidiary behind Pro2col, a “digital, personalized health and wellness operating system,” deepening the footballer’s partnership with Herbalife, which dates back to 2013. C罗最实质性的举动发生在2026年2月，当时他斥资750万美元收购了HBL Pro2col Software公司10%的股份。该公司是康宝莱（Herbalife）旗下的子公司，也是“数字个性化健康与保健操作系统”Pro2col的幕后推手，此举进一步加深了这位球星与康宝莱自2013年以来建立的合作关系。
A month later, Herbalife agreed to acquire London-based Bioniq in a deal worth up to $150 million. Ronaldo was already an early investor in the AI-powered personalized supplements company, whose technology will now be integrated into Pro2col. “By combining Bioniq’s personalized supplement technology with Pro2col and the power of our global distributor network, we are expanding our ability to deliver personalized wellness at a global scale,” Ronaldo said in a joint statement with the company. 一个月后，康宝莱同意以最高1.5亿美元的价格收购总部位于伦敦的Bioniq。C罗此前已是这家人工智能驱动的个性化补剂公司的早期投资者，其技术现在将被整合到Pro2col中。C罗在与该公司发表的联合声明中表示：“通过将Bioniq的个性化补剂技术与Pro2col以及我们全球分销网络的力量相结合，我们正在扩大在全球范围内提供个性化健康服务的能力。”
Ronaldo has also reportedly received a 5 percent ownership stake in Saudi Pro League club Al-Nassr, a deal said to have been finalized in June 2025 and valued at roughly £50 million ($66.7 million). 据报道，C罗还获得了沙特职业联赛俱乐部利雅得胜利（Al-Nassr）5%的所有权股份，这笔交易据称于2025年6月完成，估值约为5000万英镑（约合6670万美元）。
Salah, meanwhile, has taken a more traditional approach. Public UK corporate filings show his business interests are concentrated in commercial holding companies and real estate rather than publicly disclosed investments in technology startups. His highest-profile commercial relationships also remain conventional endorsement deals with brands including Adidas, Pepsi, and Vodafone Egypt, alongside philanthropic work through the Mohamed Salah Charitable Foundation. 与此同时，萨拉赫采取了更为传统的方式。英国公开的企业备案文件显示，他的商业利益主要集中在商业控股公司和房地产上，而非公开披露的科技初创企业投资。他最高调的商业关系依然是与阿迪达斯、百事可乐和埃及沃达丰等品牌的传统代言协议，以及通过穆罕默德·萨拉赫慈善基金会开展的慈善工作。