Following a spate of contracts and other documents relating to football stars leaked by controversial website Football Leaks, it is the turn of Lionel Messi to have the finer details of his FC Barcelona contract revealed to the public — this time by Catalan newspaper Ara.
Lionel Messi signed his latest FC Barcelona contract in 2014, receiving a significant pay hike from the reported €13 million he was receiving, although his release clause of €250 million and the date of expiry (June 30th, 2018) remained the same.
However, some of the finer details of his contract have now emerged courtesy of local Catalan newspaper Ara (via Sport), and the revelations indicate, among other things, that FC Barcelona would have to pay Messi an eye-watering sum of money if they wished to sell him.
The report reveals that the Argentine superstar is due a gigantic wage-hike in the summer, with his fixed salary set to nearly double from €22.8 million a year to an awesome €39.4 million. If the Catalan club thought about selling him before that mammoth salary-rise, there is a clause in Messi’s contract that would require them to pay a fee of €19.941 million as compensation to the 28-year-old.
However, that amount is set to decrease to €9.97 million if a club met his €250 million release clause in 2017. If the leaked details are true, the finances involved in the agreement are absolutely staggering. For some perspective, Cristiano Ronaldo’s current Real Madrid contract (signed in 2013) sees the Portuguese superstar earn €17 million annually, less then half of what Messi will supposedly earn from next season onwards.
FC Barcelona departure now even more unlikely
Given the details of Messi’s latest FC Barcelona contract, it seems more unlikely than ever that Lionel Messi will leave his boyhood club. It is difficult to imagine the likes of Manchester City matching the wages the Catalan club are paying, not only for the sheer financial strain it would bring, but also the knock-on effect it could have on the rest of the squad, none of whom earn anywhere near that amount.
Besides, Barcelona seem to have more than just a football-related incentive of doing everything in their power to keep Messi at the club, and as such, even though he has faced problems from the Spanish tax authorities, and even though the likes of Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain might try and put together eye-watering packages for the Argentine, it appears as though the five-time Ballon d’Or winner will see out the remainder of his career at the Nou Camp.
