When Lionel Messi departed Barcelona and joined Paris Saint-Germain, the signing shook up the sports world. It also fattened Michael Jordan’s wallet.
The NBA legend has already made $7 million off Messi’s transfer, according to Argentinian outlet TyC Sports, which reports that PSG has totaled $140 million in sales of Messi’s No. 30 jersey. Jordan receives a 5 percent cut of those sales, per TyC Sports, because PSG partnered with the Air Jordan brand in 2018. If you go shopping around for a PSG shirt, you’ll see it emblazoned with the famous Jumpman logo.
MORE: How much money will Messi make with PSG?
Welcome to the family.
— Jordan (@Jumpman23) September 13, 2018
Jordan x Paris Saint-Germain. pic.twitter.com/Vp3kpNWDDG
These massive sales have come prior to Messi even taking the field for PSG, so the club and Jordan stand to earn a lot more in the near future. Messi, who has sat out the past two Ligue 1 matches since officially becoming a member of PSG, could make his highly anticipated debut on Sunday against Stade de Reims before the international break in September.
That $7 million figure may seem like a lot because, well, it is, but it also represents a very small piece of Jordan’s fortune. The 58-year-old holds a net worth of $1.6 billion as of August 2021, per Forbes. Jordan joined the billionaire club in 2014 after increasing his ownership stake in the Hornets, a franchise currently valued at $1.5 billion. (He sold a large minority share of the Hornets in 2019, but he doesn’t intend to relinquish control of the team.)
What’s that old saying? Oh yeah, the rich get richer.