Soccer megastar Lionel Messi looking for homes in Boca Raton, Delray Beach

Worldwide soccer superstar Lionel Messi is shopping for real estate in subdued southern Palm Beach County, hoping to give his family a home outside the extreme celebrity fanfare of Miami.

Representatives for the Argentine soccer phenom contacted Boca Raton-based luxury real estate agent Senada Adzem this month asking for suggestions on properties in Boca Raton or western Delray Beach. After playing years in Europe (for Barcelona and Paris), Messi, who led Argentina to the World Cup title in 2022, recently signed to play for Inter Miami CF of Major League Soccer. He said the move was mostly for his family.

While Adzem couldn’t share confidential details of her conversations with Messi’s envoy, she said she offered several on-market and off-market properties in gated communities with security.

“My understanding is that he’s seriously now considering Palm Beach County because of the fact that he can get more privacy, more land, and security is very important,” said Adzem, who is executive director of luxury sales at Douglas Elliman. “He is one of the most famous people, if not the most famous person, in the world, and I think it’s just a little quieter here.”

Celebrities in Palm Beach County: These famous people have called Boca Raton and Delray Beach home through the years

South Florida learned June 7 that Messi, 36, was joining the David Beckham-owned team that plays out of DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale. He was formally introduced to thousands of devotees Sunday in a flashy event that team managing owner Jorge Mas said marked “a moment to change the football landscape in this country.”

It could also change, or at least further elevate, the sports cachet of Palm Beach County as a place where high-profile people can fly under the radar of the paparazzi, the press and tourists, said Kelly Smallridge, president and CEO of the Business Development Board of Palm Beach County.

Messi would join a host of other sports stars with homes in Palm Beach County

Smallridge ticked off the names of resident celebrity athletes from Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus to Serena Williams and Michael Jordan.

“A private life is something they are especially seeking for their children, a place where they will be protected. That’s very important to them,” Smallridge said.

Want to get The Dirt?

Stay up to date on South Florida's sizzling real estate market and sign up for The Dirt weekly newsletter, delivered every Tuesday! Exclusively for Palm Beach Post subscribers.

Messi and his wife, Antonela Roccuzzo, have three young sons born between 2012 and 2018.

In southern Palm Beach County, they would be nearby several high-end private schools such as Saint Andrew’s School, Pine Crest School, and the Palm Beach County campus at American Heritage School.

Smallridge said celebrity residents also often invest in local businesses, support local charities and create student training programs in their communities.

“It’s not just a residential real estate purchase. It’s far greater,” Smallridge said.

Gooooo! Lionel Messi playing at Inter Miami likely to boost Florida real estate, tourism

Joey Worthen, head coach of the Florida Atlantic University men's soccer team, said Messi coming to South Florida will have a "massive" impact on the popularity of soccer, and that FAU would be more than happy to collaborate on something.

"I don't have his number on speed dial, but if Messi calls, I'm picking up," said Worthen, noting Messi's reputation for being a low-drama family man. "For him to reach out, and be within the community, would be in line with what he does."

The possibility that the World Cup winner might move to Boca was also reported on the Univision network's "El Gordo y La Flaca" afternoon show on Wednesday.

The program's news brief segment "Chismes Gordos," Spanish for "juicy gossip," cited friends of the Argentine who said Messi would not reside in his "luxurious apartments in Miami" in order to provide "better security for his sons" and to avoid "being accosted by the press."

Perhaps an alternative living arrangement, the show said, is available further north in Boca Raton, which "is much more tranquil" a community and closer to the team's training site in Fort Lauderdale.

That made sense to Christian Prakas, managing broker of Serhant. in Delray Beach.

“Boca offers a plethora of very private secluded enclaves with large estates that would be ideal for such a high-profile international celebrity,” Prakas said. “With only 10 home games left and the current stadium just off Commercial Boulevard, Boca would be an easy hop, skip and jump to practice and games.”

Messi, whose net worth is estimated to be about $600 million, has several luxury condominiums in Miami, including the Porsche Design Tower, which touts a vehicle elevator that allows residents to drive their cars directly to private garages attached to each unit.

The Miami Herald reported Inter Miami's 2 1/2-year deal with Messi has a total value of $125 million to $150 million. Messi, a native of Rosario, Argentina, has won the sport's top award, the Ballon d'Or, a record seven times. He led Spain's Barcelona FC team to a club-record 34 trophies, including 10 La Liga titles, seven Copa del Rey titles and the UEFA Champions League four times.

More: Lionel Messi grew to become sports' biggest star. Starting now, he's South Florida's own.

Adzem said Messi’s representatives told her the family was initially looking for a home in Fort Lauderdale but didn’t want something on the water, where boaters could more easily access the property.

She said she suggested a six-bedroom, 11-bathroom home in Stone Creek Ranch, an exclusive community in unincorporated Delray Beach that has only 37 homes. At $23.9 million, the 11,500-square-foot home is on 2.6 acres of land with a heated Olympic-style saltwater pool and a tennis court. Adzem also mentioned the Sanctuary of Boca Raton as an option. The community is on the Intracoastal Waterway but is gated and has security on land and the water, she said.

“They are going through the process of understanding what areas they want to be in,” Adzem said. “Miami is the epicenter of his fandom. He would have more privacy here.”

Kimberly Miller is a veteran journalist for The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA Today Network of Florida. She covers real estate and how growth affects South Florida's environment. Subscribe to The Dirt for a weekly real estate roundup. If you have news tips, please send them to kmiller@pbpost.com. Help support our local journalism, subscribe today. 

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Lionel Messi of Inter Miami looking for real estate in South Florida