When will Lionel Messi’s new sports hydration drink be available?

Lionel Messi is preparing to launch a “next-generation” hydration drink this summer, as the Inter Miami and Argentina forward’s portfolio of lucrative business interests continues to grow.

“I’ve never done anything like this before”

Messi announced his plans for the as yet unnamed drink in March, revealing that he was joining forces with the beverage maker Mark Anthony Brands, best known for drinks such as White Claw Hard Seltzer and Mike’s Hard Lemonade.

“I’m so excited about this,” the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner said in a statement issued by Mark Anthony Brands. “I’m invested as an owner. I’ve never done anything like this before.” The statement promised a “game-changing, non-alcoholic hydration beverage like no other”.

Messi offers update on hydration drink

In a post on his Instagram account on Wednesday, Messi provided an update on the preparations for the product’s release, sharing a video of himself and his wife, Antonela Roccuzzo, visiting a factory where the drink is manufactured.

“We’ve been hard at work preparing for the launch of our new hydration drink, because hydration is so important for everyone and we want to make sure we get it right,” Messi said. “We’ve just returned from the facility where we checked in on our progress, and learned exactly how my next-generation hydration drink is being made.”

When is Messi’s hydration drink going to be released?

According to Messi’s social-media post this midweek, the drink is slated for release on Friday 14 June 2024. March’s announcement of the forthcoming launch noted that the product will initially be brought out only in the United States and Canada.

What other business ventures, endorsements does Messi have?

Messi’s collaboration with Mark Anthony Brands is one of a long list of off-the-field partnerships and ventures boasted by the soccer star. They allow him to generously supplement estimated on-pitch earnings of around $50 to $60 million a year at Major League Soccer franchise Inter Miami.

The World Cup winner, whose net worth is placed by Forbes at around $600 million, has highly-paid sponsorship deals with a host of brands and organisations, including Adidas, Budweiser and PepsiCo. In 2017, the German sportswear giant handed him a lifetime contract worth a reported $25 million a year.

Messi’s endorsement agreements also include a reported $20-million-a-year-plus deal with crypto firm Socios.com, and his role as an ambassador for the Saudi Tourism Authority, which is to earn him an estimated $25 million over a three-year period.

Among the business ventures that he has launched, the former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain star has created his own clothing line, having opened the Messi Store in 2019. “Our chief brand goal is to extend the core of Leo’s values, vision, and sportsmanship from the pitch to the apparel,” the Messi Store’s website says.

In 2022, meanwhile, Messi announced the founding of Play Time Sports-Tech, a San Francisco-based investment firm that says it finances companies operating “at the intersection of football and technology”. “I am excited to extend our roots into Silicon Valley, and I am thrilled that Play Time will collaborate with daring entrepreneurs from all over the world,” the player said in a statement.

Watch - Messi bodyguard’s intense training:

Magic Messi helps Herons to top of table

Messi, who joined Inter Miami on a two-and-a-half year deal in July 2023, has scored nine goals in seven MLS games this season, leading the Herons to the top of the Eastern Conference.

The team faces New York Red Bulls in its latest regular-season game on Saturday - and will be out for revenge on the men from the Big Apple. In the absence of an injured Messi, Miami were thumped 4-0 by the Red Bulls in March.