Climate Activists Deface Lionel Messi’s Mansion In Spain

Lionel Messi’s mansion became a target of climate activists on Tuesday, with protesters spray-painting the property to highlight the “responsibility of the rich for the climate crisis.”

Campaigners from the group Futuro Vegetal released a video showing two members standing in front of Messi’s mansion near the cove of Cala Tarida on Ibiza’s western coast.

They held a banner with the inscription: “Help the Planet — Eat the Rich — Abolish the Police” before spraying the white facade with red and black paint.

In their statement, Futuro Vegetal emphasised their intent to highlight the disproportionate impact of the wealthy on the climate crisis, describing Messi’s mansion as an “illegal construction.”

The group cited a 2023 Oxfam report indicating that the richest one percent of the world’s population generated the same amount of carbon emissions in 2019 as the poorest two-thirds, despite the most vulnerable communities suffering the “worst consequences” of the crisis.

Messi, who currently plays for Inter Miami in the United States, reportedly purchased the property in 2022 for approximately 11 million euros ($12 million) from a Swiss businessman.

The mansion, which includes a spa with a sauna and a cinema room, lacked a certificate of occupancy due to several unlicensed constructions, according to Spanish media reports.

Futuro Vegetal, linked to similar international groups, has conducted numerous protests. In 2022, they glued their hands to the frames of paintings by Spanish master Francisco de Goya at Madrid’s Prado Museum.

They also spray-painted a superyacht in Ibiza belonging to Nancy Laurie, the billionaire heiress of US retail giant Walmart.

In January, Spanish police reported the arrest of 22 members of Futuro Vegetal, including those involved in the Prado Museum protest and the group’s top three leaders.