内容来源：https://www.wired.com/story/messi-ronaldo-tech-portfolios-salah-playing-a-different-game/

内容总结：

标题：梅西、C罗与萨拉赫的场外新战场：从绿茵豪门转向商业投资

正文：

随着2026年美加墨世界杯的到来，足坛三大巨星——梅西、C罗与萨拉赫正站在职业生涯的转折点。这不仅是C罗的最后一届世界杯，也是梅西与萨拉赫又一个关键历史时刻。然而，比起赛场上的最后一舞，他们在场外的布局已悄然拉开了“后球员时代”的序幕。

在阿根廷对阵埃及的赛前发布会上，当被问及从梅西与C罗中选一人上演“最后之舞”时，萨拉赫毫不犹豫地选择了梅西。这一回答颇具分量，因为C罗此前已确认，随着葡萄牙在16强赛中被西班牙淘汰，他的六届世界杯之旅正式画上句号。

但在绿茵场外，三位巨星的投资路径正分道扬镳。梅西与C罗近年来越发青睐人工智能、健康科技及初创企业的股权入股，而萨拉赫则更多延续传统的商业代言、地产投资与慈善事业。

这一趋势在过去十年间显著加速。风投机构和初创公司越来越看重明星投资者带来的“流量溢价”——拥有数亿粉丝的球星能提供传统资本难以企及的全球触达率、公信力和分销能力。

迪拜评估咨询公司Archers Valuation and Advisory的合伙人卡姆兰·汗指出：“从传统赞助转向股权与初创投资，反映出运动员对职业生涯结束后长期财富创造与财务安全的更高追求。”

梅西：硅谷式AI与体育科技布局

2022年10月，梅西与流媒体平台Viki创始人拉兹米格·霍瓦吉米安共同创立了旧金山投资公司Play Time HoldCo，专注于体育、媒体与科技领域。尽管最初传出目标募资约2亿美元，如今其投资组合已颇似硅谷风投基金。

据官网披露，Play Time的投资包括AI语音公司Fish Audio、AI标注平台SuperAnnotate、以及体育类项目FIFA授权手游Matchday和纪念品市场AC Momento。此外，梅西还持有梦幻足球平台Sorare的股权，并加入了由前国家队队友阿圭罗创立的KRÜ Esports电竞俱乐部的所有者团队。他与区块链粉丝代币平台Socios.com的三年代言合约（据称价值2000万美元）为付费推广，而非股权。

2023年转会迈阿密国际时，梅西不仅获得薪资和签字费，还附带球队所有权权益——这在美职联史上尚属首次。据Sportico评估，2026年2月迈阿密国际估值已达14.5亿美元，同比增长22%，创下美职联历史最高纪录。

C罗：押注健康科技与沙特联赛股权

若梅西的投资紧随硅谷AI热潮，C罗则几乎全押在健康科技领域。2024年5月，他成为可穿戴健身追踪公司Whoop的投资者，并曾自述是多年付费用户。Whoop进军阿联酋市场背后还有卡塔尔投资局与穆巴达拉投资公司的支持。

2026年2月，C罗以750万美元收购了Herbalife子公司HBL Pro2col Software 10%的股权，该公司运营一款“数字化个性化健康操作系统”，延续了他自2013年以来与Herbalife的合作。一个月后，Herbalife以高达1.5亿美元收购了伦敦AI个性化补剂公司Bioniq，C罗正是其早期投资者。

据传，C罗还持有沙特联赛利雅得胜利俱乐部5%的股权，该协议于2025年6月敲定，估值约6670万美元。

萨拉赫：坚守传统路线

相比之下，萨拉赫的投资风格更为稳健。公开的英国公司文件显示，其商业版图主要集中在控股公司与房地产，而非公开披露的科技初创投资。他与阿迪达斯、百事可乐及沃达丰埃及等品牌的代言仍为传统商业合同，此外还通过穆罕默德·萨拉赫慈善基金会从事公益活动。

评估专家卡姆兰·汗补充道：“无论是投资初创公司、房地产还是私营企业，独立估值和扎实的尽职调查始终是了解机会与风险的核心。”

从风投、可穿戴设备到健康平台与地产，足坛巨星们正在用自己的方式布局退役后的财富未来。股权，正取代赞助，成为体育界最聪明的那笔投资。

（本文原载于《WIRED Middle East》）

中文翻译：

莱昂内尔·梅西、克里斯蒂亚诺·罗纳尔多和穆罕默德·萨拉赫在过去二十年中共同定义了足球史上最伟大的时代之一。如今，随着2026年世界杯成为C罗在这项赛事中的最后一舞，并成为梅西和萨拉赫职业生涯中的又一决定性时刻，他们也在为球场之外的生活做准备。

在周二阿根廷队击败埃及队这场赛事最佳比赛之一的前夕，萨拉赫被问及，在梅西和C罗这一代人中，他会选择哪位球员进行最后一次“最后一舞”。他毫不犹豫地选择了梅西。鉴于C罗在葡萄牙队以0-1输给西班牙队止步16强后确认这将是他最后一届世界杯，从而结束其六届世界杯之旅，这一回答分量更重。

然而，在足球之外，这些球员的未来开始走向分化。梅西和C罗越来越多地持有人工智能、健康科技和初创公司的股权，而萨拉赫则基本坚持更为传统的商业合作、房地产和慈善相结合的路径。

过去十年间，随着风险投资公司和初创企业越来越青睐那些能带来金钱之外价值的明星投资者，这种转变加速了。一位拥有数亿粉丝的足球运动员能够提供全球影响力、信誉和分销渠道，这是很少有传统投资者能够匹敌的。

“从传统的赞助协议转向股权和初创公司投资，反映了人们对运动员职业生涯之外长期财富创造和财务安全的更广泛关注。”迪拜Archers Valuation and Advisory公司的合伙人Kamraan Khan表示。

过去十年间，精英运动员越来越多地用一次性代言费换取公司所有权股份，这顺应了体育明星成为投资者而不仅仅是品牌大使的大趋势。2022年10月，梅西与企业家Razmig Hovaghimian共同创立了Play Time HoldCo，这是一家总部位于旧金山的投资公司。Hovaghimian是视频流媒体平台Viki的创始人，该平台此前已被乐天收购。该公司的目标很简单：投资于体育、媒体和技术领域的公司。

Khan指出：“虽然赞助通常能在运动员收入巅峰期带来收益，但股权投资可以提供资本增值的潜力，并在适用的情况下提供未来的股息收入，有助于在退役后建立更可持续的财富。”

最初据报道目标资金约为2亿美元的Play Time，如今其投资组合已越来越像一支硅谷风险基金。

根据Play Time官网，其投资包括FieldAI、Fish Audio、World Labs、Perceptron、Intangible和SuperAnnotate，以及针对体育领域的投资：获得国际足联授权的手机游戏Matchday和纪念品市场AC Momento。

在Play Time之外，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的所有权集团，这是由其前阿根廷队友塞尔吉奥·阿圭罗创立的Valorant和火箭联盟电竞战队。他作为区块链粉丝代币平台Socios.com全球大使的三年合约据报道价值2000万美元，这是一份付费推广合同，而非未披露的股权。

作为2023年转会迈阿密国际这一里程碑事件的一部分，梅西除了薪水和签约奖金外，还获得了一部分所有权——这是美国职业足球大联盟前所未有的安排。虽然有关该股权规模的报道众说纷纭，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%，创下MLS历史最高估值。

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——这个领域与他数十年来围绕健身和长寿打造的个人品牌高度契合。

C罗于2024年5月成为可穿戴健身追踪器和健康分析公司Whoop的投资者，Whoop本身称这笔交易是“C罗迄今为止最重要的投资之一”，此前他本人已是多年的付费用户。“Whoop已成为我用来支持长期健康的最重要工具之一。”他当时表示。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。

C罗最实质性的举动是在2026年2月，他以750万美元购买了HBL Pro2col Software公司10%的股份，该公司是康宝莱的子公司，旗下拥有Pro2col——一个“数字化、个性化的健康与保健操作系统”。这深化了C罗与康宝莱自2013年开始的合作关系。

一个月后，康宝莱同意以高达1.5亿美元的价格收购总部位于伦敦的Bioniq公司。C罗已是这家提供人工智能驱动的个性化补充剂公司的早期投资者，其技术现在将整合到Pro2col中。“通过将Bioniq的个性化补充剂技术与Pro2col以及我们全球分销商网络的力量相结合，我们正在扩大在全球范围内提供个性化健康服务的能力。”C罗在与该公司的联合声明中表示。

据报道，C罗还获得了沙特职业联赛俱乐部利雅得胜利5%的所有权股份，这笔交易据称于2025年6月敲定，价值约5000万英镑（6670万美元）。

与此同时，萨拉赫采取了更为传统的方式。英国公开的公司文件显示，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公司投资。他最引人注目的商业关系仍然是与阿迪达斯、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。

Khan解释道：“无论是投资初创公司、房地产还是私营企业，在投入资金之前，独立估值和稳健的尽职调查仍然是理解机遇和风险的基础。”

无论是通过风险投资、可穿戴技术、健康平台还是房地产投资，足球界的巨星们正越来越多地为退役后的生活做打算。随着运动员对其财富管理方式的影响力日益增强，股权——而非赞助——正成为体育界最明智的玩法之一。

本文原载于《WIRED Middle East》。

英文来源：

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.
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.
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.
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.
“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.
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.
“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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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).
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.
“Whether investing in startups, real estate, or private businesses, independent valuation and robust due diligence remain fundamental to understanding both opportunity and risk before committing capital,” explains Khan.
Whether through venture capital, wearable technology, health platforms, or property investments, football’s biggest stars are increasingly thinking beyond their playing careers. As athletes gain more influence over how their wealth is managed, equity—not sponsorship—is becoming one of sport’s smartest plays.
This article originally appeared on WIRED Middle East.