Lionel Messi's family home is not in Miami. The house most closely tied to him sits north of the city, on a canal in Bay Colony, a guard-gated enclave in northeast Fort Lauderdale. In September 2026, a company linked to him bought the house next door for $8 million, according to The Real Deal and the Miami Herald, which cited a Broward County deed. With that, the Messi family's footprint on the street appears to have doubled.
Ask a search engine where Messi lives and you will get a mix of 2023 articles, condo rumors and at least one ranking page that puts his house in the wrong city. Here is the verified record: what he has bought in South Florida, why his teammates keep buying in the same few blocks, and what Bay Colony actually is.
For the wider map of where South Florida's biggest names settle, see our guide to Miami's billionaire neighborhoods.
At a glance
- Messi and Antonela Roccuzzo bought a waterfront house in Bay Colony, Fort Lauderdale, for about $10.8 million in September 2023, through a company led by wealth manager Alfonso Nebot.
- In September 2026, Sadani LLC, the same entity per The Real Deal, bought the house next door for $8 million. The Real Deal notes it is unclear whether Messi is the beneficiary of the new purchase.
- Luis Suárez paid $11.5 million for a Bay Colony house in 2024, and Sergio Busquets owned in nearby Sea Ranch Lakes before selling in January 2026.
- Bay Colony is a gated community of roughly 100 waterfront homes with 24-hour armed security, about five miles from Inter Miami's Fort Lauderdale training center.
Where Does Messi Live? The Verified Record
Messi's South Florida purchases started years before he signed with Inter Miami. In order, as publicly reported:
- 2019, Sunny Isles Beach: a 3,555 square foot condo at Porsche Design Tower for about $5 million (The Real Deal; Realtor.com).
- 2021, Sunny Isles Beach: Messi's family reportedly bought a full floor at Regalia for $7.3 million, as first reported by The Real Deal.
- September 2023, Bay Colony: a waterfront house of about 10,500 square feet on roughly 0.4 acre with 170 feet of water frontage and two docks, bought for about $10.8 million (The Real Deal; Mansion Global; Miami Herald). This is the family's main home.
- 2025, Brickell: The Wall Street Journal reported Messi was in contract on four units at Cipriani Residences Miami, which is still under construction. A closing has not been reported.
- September 2026, Bay Colony: the 7,660 square foot house next door, with about 160 feet of water frontage, sold for $8 million to Sadani LLC, managed by Alfonso Nebot Armisen. That is about $1,045 a square foot.
So the honest answer to "where does Messi live in Miami" is Fort Lauderdale, with condos in Sunny Isles Beach and a pending position in Brickell. We are leaving out house numbers. They are in public records. A private family's front door does not need another link.
Why Buy the House Next Door?
The Herald placed the purchase inside a pattern that has been running across South Florida: owners buying adjacent houses to build a compound, gain privacy or control what gets built beside them. Ken Griffin and Enrique Iglesias have both done it, and The Real Deal has taken to calling the trend "landmaxxing."
In Bay Colony, every home sits on a canal lot, the gate is the only way in, and there is no vacant land to buy. Two adjacent waterfront lots under one owner become something the community cannot otherwise produce: a larger, more private waterfront estate. Whether the second house becomes staff quarters, a guest house or a future teardown has not been reported, and we will not guess.
What Bay Colony Actually Is
Bay Colony is a gated single-family community in northeast Fort Lauderdale, ZIP code 33308, on deep canals with ocean access west of the Intracoastal Waterway. Brokers put it at about 100 homes. Compass broker Chad Carroll described it to Mansion Global as "guard-gated 24 hours a day" with "24-hour armed security."
- Size: roughly 100 waterfront houses. There is no official public count.
- Access: one guarded entrance, staffed around the clock.
- Water: deep canals with ocean access, which is why so many homes have docks.
- Record sale: $20.4 million in June 2021 for an estate with about 800 feet of water frontage, according to Mansion Global. We have not found a higher reported sale since.
- A naming trap: Bay Colony Club is a separate condominium complex next door. Its prices have nothing to do with the gated single-family community.
Prices in the community vary enormously with frontage. A Zillow figure cited by Mansion Global put the 2023 average around $4.6 million, while the three Inter Miami purchases since 2023 have run from $8 million to $11.5 million.
Inter Miami's Real Estate Map
Luis Suárez: Bay Colony, $11.5 million
Suárez paid $11.5 million in March 2024 for a Bay Colony waterfront house of about 7,100 square feet on 0.6 acre with roughly 425 feet of water frontage (The Real Deal; USA Today). That makes him a neighbor of the Messi family inside the same gate.
Sergio Busquets: Sea Ranch Lakes, in and out
Busquets bought a seven-bedroom house in gated Sea Ranch Lakes, a short drive north, for about $8.7 million in 2023. He sold it in January 2026 for $9 million to Florida Panthers forward Sam Reinhart (The Real Deal; Robb Report).
The Beckhams: Miami Beach
Co-owner David Beckham and Victoria Beckham went to Miami Beach instead. The Real Deal reported they bought a North Bay Road spec mansion for $72.3 million in 2024. That market works very differently from Bay Colony, and we cover it in our report on Miami's $100M oceanfront belt.
Why the Players Cluster in Fort Lauderdale
- The commute to training. Bay Colony is about five miles from the Florida Blue Training Center in Fort Lauderdale. Inter Miami moved its home matches to Nu Stadium at Miami Freedom Park in April 2026, which lengthens game-day drives, but daily training is still in Fort Lauderdale.
- A real gate. Twenty-four-hour armed security matters more to a global celebrity than a view. A guarded single-family community gives a family something a condo tower lobby cannot.
- Schools and family life. Carroll told Mansion Global that Bay Colony is less than a mile from one of the most prestigious private schools in South Florida.
- Boats. Deep canals with ocean access make a dock part of the house, not an extra.
Does Living Near Messi Raise Home Values?
Brokers disagree. Some Compass brokers expected Messi's arrival to lift Bay Colony prices. Ron Shuffield of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices EWM said buyers will not pay "a million dollars more" just to live near a celebrity. Prices on Bay Colony houses are set mainly by frontage, lot size and condition. A famous neighbor may help a house sell faster, but there is no evidence it moves the price per foot.
Considering a gated waterfront home in Fort Lauderdale or Miami? Our brokers work the South Florida waterfront every day. Message us on WhatsApp for a private, no-pressure conversation.
FAQ
Where does Lionel Messi live in Miami?
Messi's family home is in Bay Colony, a gated waterfront community in northeast Fort Lauderdale, in Broward County north of Miami. He and Antonela Roccuzzo bought the house for about $10.8 million in 2023. He also owns, or has owned, condos in Sunny Isles Beach, and was reported in contract on units at Cipriani Residences Miami in Brickell.
How much did Messi pay for his Fort Lauderdale house?
About $10.8 million in September 2023 for a roughly 10,500 square foot waterfront house in Bay Colony. In September 2026, a company tied to the same buyer entity paid $8 million for the house next door, though The Real Deal reported it is unclear whether Messi himself is the beneficiary.
Who lives in Bay Colony, Fort Lauderdale?
Bay Colony is a gated community of about 100 waterfront homes. Publicly reported owners include the Messi family and Luis Suárez, who paid $11.5 million for a house there in 2024. Most owners are private individuals, and the community is known for its 24-hour armed gate.
Is Bay Colony the same as Bay Colony Club?
No. Bay Colony is the gated single-family community. Bay Colony Club is a separate condominium complex nearby. Prices and listings for the two should never be compared.
Where do Inter Miami players live?
Many have bought in and around northeast Fort Lauderdale, close to the club's training center. Messi and Suárez are in Bay Colony, and Sergio Busquets owned in nearby Sea Ranch Lakes until selling in January 2026. Others rent or own condos closer to Miami.
For buyers, Bay Colony's pricing still comes down to frontage, lot size and condition, whoever lives next door.
Related insights
- Indian Creek 2026: The $170M Billionaire Bunker Record
- Indian Creek vs Star Island vs La Gorce
- Billionaire Beach: Miami's $100M Oceanfront Belt
Sources: The Real Deal (September 24, 2026; July 19, 2026; January 23, 2026; March 5, 2024; September 11, 2023; November 27, 2019); Miami Herald (September 2026; September 11, 2023); Mansion Global (September 12, 2023; June 8, 2021); The Wall Street Journal (2025); Robb Report; USA Today; Realtor.com.
