This former U.S. soccer player built a $20 billion-a-year company. Now, he says resilience matters more than talent—and points to Lionel Messi as proof

On the left, a black and white photo of Jim Kavanaugh playing soccer in the 1980s. On the right, a modern headshot of Kavanaugh wearing a blue suit jacket (Credit: Courtesy of World Wide Technology)

Jim Kavanaugh never became a global soccer icon like Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo. Unlike Messi and Ronaldo, one of whom still graces our screens on the World Cup stage, Kavanaugh’s playing days ended decades ago. But the former U.S. national team player does share one distinction with the two soccer superstars: They’re all billionaires.

Six years after representing the United States during the 1984 Summer Olympics, Kavanaugh traded the soccer pitch for the boardroom and co-founded World Wide Technology, a Missouri-based technology giant that generates $20 billion in annual revenue as of 2025. Like the two soccer players, the 63-year-old said he like many other entrepreneurs are able to build a successful business because they share the same qualities that separate elite athletes from the rest: a willingness to outwork the competition.