Messi’s ₦20 billion mansion vandalised as activists leave 'eat the rich' warning for Argentine legend

While recovering from an injury sustained during the Copa America final, Lionel Messi received unsettling news from Spain. His Ibiza mansion was vandalised by a group of climate activists, who used the opportunity to make a bold statement against the affluent and their impact on climate change.

Messi's property, located in Sant Josep de Sa Talaia and purchased in 2022, has been controversial due to its large size—featuring a pool and 16,000 square meters of land. The activist group Futuro Vegetal targeted the mansion, defacing its facade with red and black graffiti.

This act was intended to protest climate change and its effects, and the group shared their actions publicly on social media.

In their post, the activists stated, “We defaced Messi's illegal mansion in Ibiza. This property was acquired by the soccer player for the exorbitant sum of €11 million.

“Meanwhile, in the Balearic Islands alone, between 2 and 4 people have died directly due to the heatwave. The wealthiest 1% of the population is responsible for the same amount of carbon emissions as the poorest two-thirds.”

Futuro Vegetal’s “non-violent civil disobedience” aimed to draw attention to the government's continuation of policies that worsen the climate crisis and the significant role of the wealthiest population in the current problem.

The activists also placed banners in Messi’s garden with messages in English which stated, “Help the planet, eat the rich, and abolish the police.” They also claimed that Messi’s mansion is “illegal” and criticised the excessive sum of over $11 million spent on the property.

This incident is not the first involving Futuro Vegetal in Ibiza. Last year, they sprayed black paint on the cherries of the Pacha nightclub and stormed the luxury beach club Blue Marlin in Cala Jondal with protest banners that read, “Your luxury, our climate crisis.”

They also vandalised a private jet, a Lamborghini, and the mega-yacht Kaos, owned by Nancy Walton Laurie, the billionaire heiress of Walmart.

Although Messi and his family were not present during the vandalism, and are currently in Miami, the Inter Miami star now faces the additional burden of dealing with the damage to his property.