Merely a year after it was signed, Indian edtech firm Byju's three-year deal with football superstar Lionel Messi has reportedly been put on hold. In November 2022, Byju's had onboarded Messi as its worldwide brand ambassador for an 'education for all' campaign as part of the company's social impact wing. The legendary Argentine forward had been signed for an estimated $5-7 million per year. (More Football News)
“Bjyu’s paid Messi for the first year; it is yet to be decided whether the deal will be terminated , or whether Byju’s plans to revive the contract in due course. This is on account of the liquidity crisis and other matters of serious concern within the company,” a Byju's executive was quoted as saying in an Economic Times report.
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In an Instagram post in January 2023, Messi, who currently represents Major League soccer club Inter Miami, had written: “@byjus_app and their world-changing initiative #EducationForAll are helping children from underserved communities with access to world-class educational resources. I believe that this simple initiative has the power to change the world. One student at a time.”
Byju's had then faced social media backlash, as the deal with Messi came just a month after the edtech giant announced lay-offs of nearly 2,500 employees. The company’s founder Byju Raveendran had then said that “there is a lot for us to learn from him and we are privileged to be able to."
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As per a Forbes ranking, Messi is the second highest-paid athlete in the world after familiar rival Cristiano Ronaldo. The report put Messi's annual earnings at $130 million in 2022-2023, second to Ronaldo’s $136 million overall earnings. Messi has been associated with brands like Budweiser, PUBG MOBILE and Mastercard, among others.
