UPDATED, Nov. 27, 4:22 p.m.: Lionel Messi, considered by many to be the world’s greatest soccer player of all time, bought a condo at Porsche Design Tower in Sunny Isles Beach for $5 million, The Real Deal has learned.
Messi bought unit 4705 in the 60-story luxury oceanfront condo tower at 18555 Collins Avenue developed by Gil Dezer’s Dezer Development, according to sources. The sale was brokered by Dezer Platinum Realty and closed on Monday, sources said.
The soccer superstar is reportedly being courted by David Beckham’s future Major League Soccer team Inter Miami, according to Catalunya Ràdio, Catalonia’s public radio station.
Messi, 32, is a forward for FC Barcelona. He has scored nearly 700 career goals and has been named FIFA’s best men’s player six times. A native of Rosario, Argentina, Messi led his native country to the 2014 FIFA World Cup finals. His contract with Barcelona ends in 2021, but may be renewed.
Messi was attracted to Porsche Design Tower due to its privacy and his ability to get in and out of the unit without being seen, the sources said. His new unit is on the building’s north side, where he will have unobstructed views of the ocean.
The condo has three bedrooms and four-and-a-half bathrooms. It totals 3,555 square feet, according to property records. The sale equates to $1,406 per square foot.
Messi joins a long list of high-profile residents at Porsche Design Tower, including Mexican billionaire Carlos Peralta Quintero and Colorado Rockies player Carlos “CarGo” Gonzalez. The rapper Birdman is also renting a unit at the building, according to sources.
In August, Puerto Rican rapper and singer Anuel AA closed on a unit at the tower for $6.25 million.
Terry Taylor, the president of a major car dealership, paid $25 million, or $2,615 per square foot, for a four-story penthouse at Porsche Design Tower in 2017.
Dezer Development completed the building in November 2016 and celebrated its opening with a private party that featured a performance from Alicia Keys. The building is known for its sleek cylinder design and its unique amenity known as “The Dezervator,” a car elevator that allows cars to be brought to a unit owner’s residence.