News · Lifestyle · 14 Oct 2026
Messi ordered a Sunreef ULTIMA 88, built in Ras Al Khaimah
The 88 ft catamaran is being built at Sunreef's Ras Al Khaimah yard, and a new ULTIMA 88 lists at about AED 33 million.
Photo: Image: Sunreef Yachts
Lionel Messi has ordered a Sunreef ULTIMA 88, and it is being built in the UAE. Sunreef Yachts announced the order on 13 October 2026, and Gulf News reported that the 88 ft catamaran is under construction at the company’s shipyard in Ras Al Khaimah. It will join his MiM Ocean fleet in the Balearic Islands.
What is the Sunreef ULTIMA 88?
It is a floating villa with a garage. The key details:
- Length: 88 ft
- Power: twin 1,000 hp engines, 2,000 hp in total
- Top speed: 26 knots
- Layout: a full-width master suite, four guest cabins, a sea-level Ocean Lounge and a jet ski garage
Why is it built in Ras Al Khaimah?
Sunreef runs a shipyard in the UAE covering 65,000 square metres in Ras Al Khaimah, and its regional office is on Palm Jumeirah. Tennis player Carlos Alcaraz also ordered an ULTIMA 88, announced in March 2026. So the UAE yard now builds boats for two of the biggest names in sport.
How much does an ULTIMA 88 cost?
Messi’s own price has not been disclosed. For scale, YachtWay lists a new 2027 ULTIMA 88 in Ras Al Khaimah at €7.9 million, which is about AED 33 million at an exchange rate of roughly 4.2 dirhams to the euro. That is a third-party listing, not Messi’s contract.
What is the timeline?
- 26 March 2026: Sunreef announces an ULTIMA 88 for Carlos Alcaraz
- 27 April 2026: the ULTIMA 88 is launched, with a 26-knot top speed
- 13 October 2026: Sunreef announces Messi’s order, built in Ras Al Khaimah
No delivery date has been given for Messi’s boat. The YachtWay listing mentioned below is for a 2027 model.
What does the order say about the UAE?
Two of the world’s best-known athletes have now ordered the same model from a yard in Ras Al Khaimah. Gulf News framed the story as a yacht made in the Gulf. For the UAE, it shows that high-end boat building sits alongside the country’s property and marina industries. Sunreef’s Palm Jumeirah office and its Ras Al Khaimah yard together cover sales, design and construction in the UAE, while the finished boat will be based in the Balearic Islands.
What does AED 33 million buy on land in Dubai?
On Palm Jumeirah, 140 villas were sold in a year (December 2024 to November 2025) at an average of about AED 40 million, according to Sotheby’s International Realty UAE. Palm apartments typically sell for about AED 6 million to 7 million, so AED 33 million buys around five of them.
The Palm figure comes from adding up the year: 140 villa sales worth about AED 5.7 billion, or roughly AED 40 million each. In short, the listed price of a new ULTIMA 88 is a little below the average Palm villa sale, and Messi’s own price has not been disclosed.
Areas in this story
Questions people ask
Where is Messi's yacht being built?
Sunreef Yachts is building Lionel Messi's ULTIMA 88 at its shipyard in Ras Al Khaimah, UAE. The yard covers 65,000 square metres, and Sunreef also has a regional office on Palm Jumeirah. The yacht will join his MiM Ocean fleet in the Balearic Islands.
How much does a Sunreef ULTIMA 88 cost?
Messi's price has not been disclosed. A new 2027 Sunreef ULTIMA 88 is listed on YachtWay at €7.9 million, which is about AED 33 million. That is a third-party listing for a new boat, not the price of his custom order.
What are the specs of the ULTIMA 88?
The 88 ft catamaran has twin 1,000 hp engines and a top speed of 26 knots. It has a full-width master suite, four guest cabins, a sea-level Ocean Lounge and a jet ski garage, according to Gulf News and Sunreef.
