Lionel Messi follows in footsteps of Tom Brady, LeBron James and Serena Williams with new career venture

Lionel Messi is set to embark on a new career venture after launching his own production company.

The Argentine superstar has partnered with Smuggler Entertainment to launch a company named 525 Rosario.

The company is poignantly named after Messi’s hometown in Argentina while 525 is the street number of Messi’s family home.

The production company will be dedicated to creating family programming and premium television content.

Smuggler Entertainment are already responsible for the Apple TV+ docuseries “Messi’s World Cup: The Rise of a Legend” and “Messi Meets America.”

Now, alongside 525 Rosario, they plan to produce film, sporting events and branded commercials for athletes worldwide, including Messi himself.

The company will be based in both Los Angeles and Miami, where Messi continues to play his football with Inter Miami.

Speaking of the venture, Messi said: “Entertainment has always been a passion for me whether that be on the pitch or in other areas.

“I’m really motivated by the opportunity to pursue the project we created with Smuggler Entertainment and to expand it further to create content and experiences on a global scale through this new venture.”

A statement from 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 this venture.

“We would like to continue advancing in the entertainment sector, bringing new initiatives and productions with global reach through innovative storytelling, programming and experiences.”

Messi is the latest world-famous sports star to launch a production company.

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NBA elite LeBron James and Steph Curry, NFL legend Tom Brady and tennis superstars Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka have all recently moved into the world of media production.

Messi’s new venture may also have been inspired by Cristiano Ronaldo’s move into the world of YouTube.

His rival already has more than 62million subscribers on the video platform – a tally that helped him smash 1billion social media followers in total.

However Messi will remain focused on his football with his next match for Inter Miami coming against New York City FC at Yankee Stadium on 21^st September.