Won’t you be my neighbor? Lionel Messi kick-starts his house-hunting in South Florida

Superstar Lionel Messi has been house-hunting across South Florida, seen with his family checking out some exclusive properties, according to reports.

Messi was spotted with his wife and children over the weekend touring a massive mansion in Fort Lauderdale, right along the Intracoastal Waterway, TMZ reported.

And he also has considered homes generally around the West Boca and Delray Beach area, WPBF-Ch. 25 reported, citing information from Messi’s real estate agent. His requirements: privacy, land and security.

The soccer icon made international news even before formally joining the team, which plays at the DRV PNK stadium in Fort Lauderdale. Immediately, ticket prices for the games began to soar. His first game was a success, making a free kick into the top left corner for Inter Miami’s first win in two months. And on Tuesday, Messi and another star, Sergio Busquets, led their new team to another victory.

Jeff Lichtenstein, a real estate broker and agent who is not involved in Messi’s search, said it makes sense for Messi to seek a location where he is likely to be left alone, perhaps a rural location farther north of Fort Lauderdale.

As high-income earners started to veer north for gated homes, there’s more opportunity to find inventory in his price point there since “they were built out that way,” he said of the high-priced gated homes. (Exact details of Messi’s contract have not been revealed, other than it runs through the 2025 season and reported to be a first-of-its-kind deal.)

Lichtenstein compared the likely location to golf great’s Tiger Woods, who chose to settle in the Jupiter area.

“When you go out to dinner here (in Palm Beach County) it’s no big deal and people leave them alone,” he said. “That’s not going to happen in Fort Lauderdale and Miami (where fans can be) star struck and ‘Can I have your autograph?’ When you want to have a life that becomes really important.”