Gabriel Medina Net Worth 2025: Updated Financial Overview

Learn the latest Gabriel Medina Net Worth 2025 estimate, including income sources, endorsements, and how the champion surfer maintains his earnings.

Nov 15, 2025

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Gabriel Medina Pinto Ferreira was born on December 22, 1993, in São Sebastião, São Paulo, Brazil. He grew up in Maresias, a small beachside community in São Sebastião about two hours east of the city of São Paulo. Medina is the son of Simone Pinto Medina and Claudio de Jesus Ferreira. After his parents divorced in his childhood, he was raised primarily by his mother Simone and his stepfather Charles “Charlão” Saldanha Rodrigues. He has two siblings: an older brother, Felipe, and a younger half-sister, Sophia.

Medina attended public schools in Maresias throughout his childhood. School records show that from 1999 to 2007 he completed his elementary (fundamental) schooling at Escola Professora Edileusa Brasil Soares de Souza in Maresias. After finishing eighth grade, he transferred to Professor Dulce César Tavares School (also in Maresias) to continue his secondary education. Teachers described Medina as a cheerful, playful boy who enjoyed sports; on days with good waves he would often be eager to hurry home from school so he could surf. His mother Simone and stepfather Charlão were actively involved in his schooling: they frequently notified school officials when Medina needed to be away for surf-related travel and helped arrange for him to keep up with class assignments online during those absences.

From an early age, Medina was exposed to sports through his family. His father Claudio was an amateur soccer player and initially encouraged both Gabriel and his brother to play football. However, when Medina was eight years old his schoolfriend Cauê took him surfing for the first time, and he immediately enjoyed it. In 2002 (when Medina was nine), his mother Simone married Charles “Charlão” Saldanha – a local surf-shop owner and surfer – who became Medina’s coach and mentor in surfing. Charlão was a passionate surfer who helped introduce Medina to the local surf community in Maresias.

Early Career

Gabriel Medina entered elite professional surfing when he joined the World Championship Tour midway through the 2011 season, immediately establishing himself as a top-level competitor. In his rookie year he recorded multiple Championship Tour event victories, including a high-profile win at the Quiksilver Pro France in October 2011, which signalled his arrival on the world stage. Before ascending to the Championship Tour, Medina set an early-career benchmark by becoming the youngest winner of a major World Qualifying Series event, a record frequently cited in profiles of his career progression.

Gabriel Medina Early Career

Net Worth (As of 2025)	Estimated between $3.5 million – $6 million
Primary Income Sources	Surfing competitions, sponsorships, endorsement deals, digital content
Known For	Being one of Brazil’s most prominent professional surfers
Nationality	Brazilian
Years Active	2009–present

Career Growth & Sponsorships

Over the next decade Medina remained a dominant presence on the WSL elite tour. He accumulated 18 Championship Tour event victoriesat legendary surf spots around the globe (including Pipeline, Teahupo’o, Jeffrey’s Bay, and others). His competitive wins made him Brazil’s most successful surfer and a global action-sports star. Medina’s prominence also drew major endorsements. He has been a long-time ambassador for Rip Curl (the Australian surfwear brand), re-signing a multi-year deal in 2019 that committed him to the company through at least 2024. Throughout his career he has also held sponsorships with brands like Oakley (sunglasses) and Corona Cero, the latter of which he collaborated with on the brand’s “Relaxation Clause” campaign in late 2024.

Away from competition, Medina has taken on leadership roles within surfing’s community. Notably, in 2017 he founded the Instituto Gabriel Medina, a Rio de Janeiro–based program that mentors young Brazilian surfers by providing training, psychological coaching, and educational support. Through this institute he has helped cultivate the next generation of talent. Medina’s high profile also made him a de facto face of Brazilian surfing internationally, and he frequently serves as an inspiration and leader for Brazil’s national surf team.

Major Achievements

WSL World Champion (3×):Medina won the world title in 2014, 2018, and 2021, becoming one of only a few three-time champions on the men’s World Surf League tour. (His 2014 victory was especially significant as it was the first world championship for any Brazilian male surfer.)
WSL Event Wins (18):He captured 18 individual CT event victories, including historic wins at the Pipeline Masters, Billabong Pro Tahiti (Chopes), and the J-Bay Open, showcasing his prowess at both heavy reef breaks and high-performance waves.
Olympic Medalist:Medina qualified Brazil’s surf team by winning the 2024 ISA World Surfing Games. At the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics (surfing’s second Olympic appearance), he earned the bronze medalin men’s shortboard. In the Olympic finals he defeated Peru’s Alonso Correa to secure the podium finish (the Olympics.com records show him as the bronze medalist).
Awards & Honors:Off the water, Medina’s achievements were recognized by ESPN’s ESPY awards. In 2021 he was named Best Men’s Action Sport Athleteat the ESPYs. He has been featured on Forbes’ lists and other media as a leader in action sports.

Each of these accomplishments is well documented. For example, NBC Olympics reports that Medina “has won three world titles in his career”. SurferToday similarly confirms that he was crowned the 2021 WSL champion at the new Finals event. The Associated Press explicitly refers to Medina as a “three-time surfing world champion and Olympic bronze medalist” when covering his post-Olympic injury in 2024.

Recent Developments

In the past year, Medina’s career continued to attract attention. After the Paris Games, he underwent medical treatment for an injury sustained in December 2024. In early 2025 the Brazilian surf federation announced that Medina tore his left pectoral muscle during training and had surgery to repair it. He confirmed via social media that he “was preparing and was very focused for the 2025 season, but unfortunately I will be out for a while”. This injury will sideline him for much of the 2025 Championship Tour season, according to AP News and WSL statements.

Looking ahead, Medina has indicated his intention to return to competition after recovery. Given his status and past comebacks, expectations are high whenever he announces a comeback plan. As of mid-2025, he remains one of surfing’s most prominent athletes, with a legacy that includes pioneering Brazil’s success on the world stage and mentoring young surfers through his institute and other programs.