Though he wasn’t able to play in Inter Miami’s most recent match, Lionel Messi still caught attention as he stepped out in a luxury Rolex watch reportedly worth $2m.
The former Barcelona and PSG star was suspended for Miami’s clash against FC Cincinatti – along with defender Jordi Alba – after missing the MLS All-Star game.
The MLS later announced their one-match ban for the Miami duo, who were then forced to watch from the sidelines as the side was held to a 0-0 draw on Saturday.
However, eagled-eyed fans noted that Messi wore an incredibly rare – and expensive – luxury watch as he sat in the dugout at the Chase Stadium.
Messi stepped out in the Rolex Daytona ‘Barbie’ for the game and, though there is no official price tag, valuations have ranged from $800,000 to $2million.
Watch aficionados have also noted that there are just 10 of them in the world that exist, which makes the time piece an even more lucrative asset.
Lionel Messi wore an incredibly rare and expensive watch while on the Inter Miami sidelines
Messi’s Rolex Daytona ‘Barbie’ has a valuation range between $800,000 and $2m
The Daytona has become one of Rolex’s most iconic and legendary chronograph’s and the ‘Barbie’ variant is one that is seldom seen in public.
Actor Mark Wahlberg has previously been spotted wearing the model at the start of the year, in one of the first sightings of the rare Rolex variant.
Despite owning one of the rarest watches in the world, Messi is evidently not keen to overuse it and was not spotted with the time piece whilst at a recent Coldplay concert.
Messi and his wife Antonella were seen in attendance at the gig in Miami on Sunday night, where they were shown on the venue’s ‘kiss cam’.
Messi, 38, was seen attending the show at the Hard Rock Stadium with his wife and children on the final night of Coldplay’s Music of the Spheres World Tour in the United States.
At one point in the concert, he and Antonella were spotted on the band’s ‘kiss cam’ as they waved while smiling to the crowd.
The couple avoided becoming embroiled in a controversial incident, unlike Andy Byron and Kristin Cabot, who were caught with their arms around one another – before trying to avoid the camera on July 15 – in an incident that since went viral.
Messi, meanwhile, was left ‘extremely upset’ by his recent one match ban, according to Inter Miami owner Jorge Mas.
Despite being suspended for the match, Messi was all smiles as he watched from the dugout
Messi, 38, was also seen attending the show at the Hard Rock Stadium with his wife and children on the final night of Coldplay’s Music of the Spheres World Tour in the United States
‘The reaction was exactly as expected out of two competitive players who don’t understand the decision, who don’t understand why not attending an exhibition leads directly to a suspension,’ he said.
‘The rule is what it is, but they don’t understand it. I think that the punishment for the role is frankly draconian.
‘I’m hopeful that it doesn’t have an impact long-term. Will it have an impact initially, in the players’ perception of how the league rules work? Absolutely no doubt.’
Despite admitting ‘there’s no one who’s done more for the MLS than Messi,’ the league’s commissioner Dan Gorber said they had to ‘enforce’ the rules.
