One of the world’s most recognizable sports stars is joining the fray to launch his own production company.
Lionel Messi, the footballer who made a Beckham-style move to MLS at the end of his career to play for Inter Miami, has created a film and television poster titled 525 Rosario, a reference to his hometown in Argentina. The poster will be installed in both Miami and Los Angeles.
The company was formed as a joint venture between the Messi family and Smuggler Entertainment, the production company behind the Apple TV+ series. Messi’s World Cup: the rise of a legend and Messi meets America. 525 Rosario will have a CEO in Tim Pastore, who also directs Smuggler, produced Messi’s World Cup and maintains production credits on titles such as Free only and the Jane Goodall documentary Jane.
The plan is for 525 Rosario to handle editorial content, presumably more unscripted documentaries, as well as family-friendly content and branded commercial stories in partnership with advertisers. The new joint venture will be represented by WME.
“Entertainment has always been a passion of mine, whether on the pitch or in other areas. I am really motivated by the opportunity to continue the project we created with Smuggler Entertainment and expand it further to create content and experiences on a global scale through this new venture,” Messi said.
With the launch of 525 Rosario, Messi joins other global stars such as LeBron James (The SpringHill Co., founded 2008), Steph Curry (Unanimous Media, founded 2018), Peyton Manning (Omaha Productions, founded 2020), Tom Brady (199 Productions, founded 2020), Serena Williams (Nine Two Six Productions, founded 2023) and Naomi Osaka (Hana Kuma, founded 2022) in their quest to produce content directly to sell to buyers who have increasingly turned to sports figures.
The production announcement marks an expansion for a star athlete who ranks as the third highest-paid sports figure globally, with 135 million dollars in earnings on and off the field over the past year, by Forbes‘2024 account.
“This new project aims to highlight and develop everything that Leo Messi represents, not only through massive premium content on a global scale, but also through community outreach and family-focused initiatives,” Pastore said. “We are very grateful to Leo and his family for the opportunity to create and collaborate on media experiences for local and global audiences, while pushing the boundaries of traditional genres.”
A statement attributed to the Messi family added: “The goal remains to inspire and connect with people around the world in a completely new way, and we are looking forward to embarking on this adventure. We would like to continue to advance in the entertainment sector, bringing new initiatives and productions with global reach through innovative storytelling, programming and experiences.”
