Football superstar Lionel Messi has ordered a luxury motor catamaran from Sunreef Yachts, a company founded in the Polish port city of Gdańsk, joining a growing list of international sporting celebrities who have chosen the manufacturer’s high-end vessels. The yacht, reportedly valued at around €9 million, is currently under construction at Sunreef’s shipyard in the United Arab Emirates.
The Argentine footballer has commissioned an ULTIMA 88, a luxury catamaran combining the space of a twin-hulled vessel with the performance and styling of a motor yacht.
Sunreef confirmed the order on Tuesday, 13 October, welcoming the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner to its community of clients.
- Find more news from Poland on our Homepage .
The City of Gdańsk subsequently reported the announcement, describing the agreement as another significant international endorsement for the brand.
The vessel will join MIM Ocean, Messi’s luxury yacht venture operating in Spain’s Balearic Islands, where it is intended for family use and guest experiences.
Messi chooses the ULTIMA 88
Messi’s new yacht belongs to Sunreef’s ULTIMA range, designed to combine high-speed cruising with spacious interiors and large outdoor areas.
According to specifications released by the manufacturer and details accompanying the announcement, the vessel will include four guest cabins and a full-width owner’s suite.
The interior is designed to provide privacy for family members and guests, while the decks offer spaces for outdoor dining, exercise and relaxation.
One of the central features is Sunreef’s Ocean Lounge, a recreational area at the stern with access to the water.
The yacht will also include a dedicated garage for a jet ski and a large upper deck, known as a flybridge.
The planned propulsion system comprises two engines rated at 1,000 horsepower each.
Sunreef’s published ULTIMA 88 specifications currently describe a vessel approximately 28.4 metres long and 9.3 metres wide, with 387 square metres of living space.
The model is offered with conventional or hybrid propulsion arrangements, although the precise propulsion configuration of Messi’s individual yacht has not been publicly confirmed.
In comments distributed with the company’s announcement and reproduced by specialist publication Yachting Pleasure, Messi said:
“It’s a real pleasure to join the Sunreef family.”
He explained that spending time at sea had long been a favourite activity for his family and that the ULTIMA 88 appealed to him because of its design and features.
Built in the UAE by a company founded in Poland
Although Sunreef is widely associated with Polish yacht manufacturing, Messi’s catamaran is not being built in Gdańsk.
The company confirmed that construction is taking place at its facility in Ras Al Khaimah, in the United Arab Emirates.
That distinction matters because several reports have described the order simply as a Polish-made yacht.
Sunreef’s Polish origins are nevertheless central to the story.
The company was established in Gdańsk in 2002 by French entrepreneur Francis Lapp, who had previously developed other businesses in Poland.
Its first major luxury catamaran was launched in 2003 at the historic Gdańsk Shipyard.
Over the following two decades, Sunreef expanded from its Polish manufacturing base into an internationally recognised producer of luxury sailing and motor catamarans.
According to the company’s official shipyard history, its operations now include production facilities in Gdańsk and the UAE, with overseas expansion supporting demand from clients in the Middle East, Asia and other international markets.
The company’s growth illustrates how a business founded in Poland’s traditional shipbuilding sector has developed into a global luxury brand.
Messi joins Lewandowski, Nadal and Alcaraz
The latest order adds Messi to a roster of professional athletes associated with Sunreef.
In January 2026, Polish football star Robert Lewandowski became a Sunreef ambassador and commissioned an 80 Sunreef Power NEXT catamaran.
The manufacturer’s announcement of Lewandowski’s order described a customised yacht designed around his interest in spending more time on the water.
Spanish tennis star Rafael Nadal has been another prominent customer.
Nadal took delivery of his personalised 80 Sunreef Power yacht, named Great White, in Mallorca in June 2020. Unlike Messi’s vessel, Nadal’s boat was constructed at the Gdańsk shipyard.
The company’s account of Nadal’s yacht confirms its Polish construction and delivery to Spain.
In March 2026, tennis player Carlos Alcaraz also ordered an ULTIMA 88, making him another high-profile customer for the same model Messi has selected.
Sunreef has additionally worked with Formula One drivers Fernando Alonso and Nico Rosberg.
The involvement of internationally recognised athletes gives the company a marketing presence extending well beyond the traditional luxury yacht market.
For a manufacturer founded in Poland, these relationships reinforce the international recognition of the Sunreef brand, even as its production operations expand overseas.
Is Messi really paying €9 million?
The reported value of the order has attracted considerable attention.
TVP World reported that an ULTIMA 88 model was advertised for approximately €9 million on the YachtWorld marketplace.
Other international reporting has suggested a price range of roughly €8 million to €9 million.
However, neither Messi nor Sunreef has disclosed the final contract price.
The distinction is significant because individually commissioned luxury yachts can vary considerably in price depending on their interiors, propulsion systems, equipment and other custom features.
The advertised price of a comparable model should therefore not be treated as confirmation of the amount Messi has agreed to pay.
The manufacturer has also not announced a confirmed delivery date for his catamaran.
A global order for a Gdańsk-founded brand
For Sunreef, Messi’s commission is another example of its appeal among wealthy international clients and high-profile athletes.
For Poland, the connection is a reminder of the country’s established shipbuilding expertise and the ability of businesses founded in its industrial cities to expand into global markets.
The immediate economic impact on Sunreef’s Polish operations cannot be established from the announcement, particularly because Messi’s vessel is being constructed overseas.
Nevertheless, the order adds one of football’s most recognisable names to a brand whose history began in Gdańsk.
Once completed, Messi’s ULTIMA 88 is expected to operate in the Balearic Islands as part of the MIM Ocean fleet.
The delivery date and precise price remain undisclosed.
