Barcelona star Lionel Messi’s current contract will see him earn £ 492million by its expiration next summer, making it the biggest contract in the history of the sport.
Messi became the highest-paid footballer in the world when he signed the four-year deal with Barca in November 2017, with club officials more than happy to pay to prevent him from leaving for free in 2018.
? In case you missed the story, Leo #Messi renewed his contract with FC Barcelona earlier today… and here are the photos to prove it!
Great news for Barça fans around the world! ?? pic.twitter.com/UofY5seBIC
– FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) November 26, 2017
Rumors in the infamous Football Leaks drama in 2018 have shed light on how much Messi would earn from this contract, but El Mundo now claims to have a copy of the documents which reveal the true extent of Messi’s earnings.
Messi is said to be guaranteed to win £ 122million every season, but that’s not even the craziest part. A bonus of £ 102million was given to the Argentinian just for signing the contract, on top of a loyalty bonus of £ 69million he receives each season for staying at the club.
The deal also includes bonuses like over £ 520,000 for winning FIFA’s The Best award, which he did in 2015 when he was known as the World Player of the Year, and 3.1million of £ if Barcelona reached the Champions League final.
With a total value of £ 492million, Messi’s contract is now considered the biggest in sporting history, beating the ten-year £ 402million deal signed by Chiefs quarterback from Kansas City Patrick Mahomes and boxer Canelo Alvarez’s £ 292million five-fight contract with. DAZN.
News of Messi’s contract comes just days after the club revealed their 2019/20 financial report, which showed Barcelona facing gross debts of £ 1 billion.
He is prompted to claim Messi ‘ruined’ Barcelona – which El Mundo accompanies in their title – but presidential candidate Victor Font has hit back at the idea that Messi has led the club into the ground.
“Leo Messi won every euro paid by Barca,” Font wrote on Twitter. “He didn’t ruin us. On the contrary. He is the best player in history and we want him to stay with us forever. ”
Instead, others have pointed to the £ 384.5million spent to sign Philippe Coutinho, Ousmane Dembele and Antoine Griezmann, none of which really justified their high Camp Nou prices.
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