Lionel Messi became the second-richest footballer in the world as his earnings came more than $1 billion this year, according to Forbes.

Last June, Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo became the first footballer in the world to become a billionaire. It took only three months for his arch-rival Messi to touch Ronaldo. Messi, the six-time Ballon d’Or-winning Argentine star, also became the sixth billionaire in the world.

Earlier, Michael Jordan in basketball, Tiger Woods in golf, Floyd Mayweather in pro-boxing, Michael Schumacher in formula racing and Cristiano Ronaldo in football surpassed 1 billion.

Barcelona captain Messi has also become the highest-paid footballer this year on his way to becoming a billionaire. In addition to $92 million he received from Spanish club Barcelona, he earned $34 million in 2020 from other advertising deals.

Ronaldo has earned just 9 million euros less than Messi this year. According to Forbes, the Juventus forward earned $117 million in 2020. Besides, no other footballer has been able to earn $100 million this year.