Lionel Messi's Catalan roots and Argentine farm ownership revealed

Genealogical research shows that Lionel Messi’s great‑grandfather was born in Bellcaire d’Urgell, a small municipality in the Lleida province of Catalonia, Spain, before emigrating to Argentina in the early 1900s. This Catalan ancestry explains the Argentine star’s early connection to the region.

Messi also owns a large agricultural estate in Argentina. The 6,800‑hectare property called “Rincón Chico” is located in San Carlos, Corrientes, near the border with Misiones. Purchased in 2015 through his father Jorge Messi for roughly US$20 million, the farm produces cattle, forestry, rice and yerba mate. A second, smaller field in Entre Ríos was bought for about US$5 million. The investment is described as a diversification strategy, using land as a long‑term store of value.

Both the genealogical discovery and the land holdings illustrate the broader personal and financial dimensions of Messi’s life beyond his football career.