Messi spent $17.6 million to buy a Gulfstream V at the end of 2018. This plane can reach a speed of 940km/h and a maximum range of 12,000km.

As the highest paid player in the world today, Lionel Messi owns a car collection  that is said to be worth tens of millions of dollars. Besides supercars, this striker also owns an expensive private plane.

Messi and his family on a private plane. Photo: The Sun.

Messi’s plane is a 2004 Gulfstream V, manufactured by the American company Gulfstream Aerospace. The Gulfstream V is a commercial jet aircraft, introduced in 1997.  Propelled by two Rolls-Royce BR700-710A1-10 jet engines, the Gulfstream V can reach a maximum speed of Mach 0.88 (equivalent to 940km/h) and cruise speed Mach 0.83 (equivalent to 882km/h).

Gulfstream V can reach a maximum altitude of about 16km, with a maximum range of 12,000km. With this number, the G-5 (nickname for Gulfstream V) was Gulfstream’s longest-range commercial aircraft model at the time of launch.

The Gulfstream V was purchased by M10 at the end of 2018 for $17.6 million. Photo: Miketheavgeek.

With measurements of length x width x height of 29m x 28m x 8m respectively, Messi’s plane has enough room for 14 passengers and 4 crew members.

Inside, this aircraft model has 2 private bathrooms and kitchen. On long flights, 16 passenger seats can be converted into 8 beds. Originally, the interior space of the Gulfstream V was luxurious with materials such as leather and wood. However, Messi’s plane has been upgraded inside.

The stairs up and down the plane are engraved with the names of Leo (Messi), his wife Antonella and their three sons Thiago, Mateo, Ciro. The tail of the plane comes with the number 10, the shirt number associated with Messi’s entire career at Barcelona.

The names of Messi’s family members are engraved on the steps up and down the plane. Photo: Goal.

According to Goal , all custom details on Messi’s plane were done by a tuning company in Argentina. Therefore, Messi’s Gulfstream V costs up to 17.6 million USD. Meanwhile, a similar one from 2008 has a current price of about 13-15 million USD.

According to Marca , Messi bought this plane at the end of 2018. However, The Sun and some newspapers in Europe said that this plane was rented long-term by “El Pulga”. However, with a lot of customization from the outside to the inside, there is a high possibility that this plane is owned by Messi. Obviously, this striker can afford to buy a plane with a salary of more than 70 million euros, equivalent to more than 83 million USD per year.

According to European media, Messi will sit on this Gulfstream V and fly to Paris on the evening of August 9 local time (early morning of August 10 Hanoi time).

This Gulfstream V is Messi’s second most expensive vehicle, ranked above the Pagani Zonda (worth 1.6 million USD) and below the 1957 Ferrari 335 S Spider Scaglietti (more than 37 million USD). However, the supercar duo mentioned above are just rumors, no one has ever seen Messi appear next to the Pagani Zonda and Ferrari 335 S Spider Scaglietti.

Inside the plane, Messi spent extra money to customize it. Photo: The Goal.

In recent years, high-income individuals in the football world have begun to turn to more expensive and luxurious vehicles than supercars. In 2019, Neymar spent $15 million on an Airbus H-145 helicopter. One year later, Ronaldo spent more than 7 million USD to buy the yacht Azimut Grande.