The Spanish newspaper El Mundo claims that it obtained a copy of Lionel Messi’s Barcelona contract, saying that the figures confirm that the star player’s agreement is the largest in the history of the sport.
According to the report, Messi would receive a maximum of EUR 555,237,619 (USD 673,919,105) over four seasons, if a number of conditions were met.
The contract was agreed in November 2017 and expires on June 30 this year, when Messi will leave Camp Nou if there is no agreement with the club on an extension.
Messi tried to leave Barcelona last summer, arguing that a clause in the agreement allowed him to leave for free, before finally retiring.
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– ESPN feature: Barcelona, Lionel Messi and the napkin
The size of Barca’s financial commitment to Messi, 33, is one of the many transactions that have left the club’s accounts in a dangerous position.
The latest series of accounts showed that Barca’s total debt is over one billion euros, and the players’ salaries are responsible for almost three quarters of the club’s budget.
The El Mundo report – which was launched on Saturday night – said Messi’s 30-page contract saw Barcelona agree to pay € 138,000,000 per season, including variables.
This included a login bonus of € 115,225,000 for accepting the renewal and a “loyalty” bonus of € 77,929,955.
The newspaper claims that, with five months left to complete the transaction, Messi has already earned € 511,540,545.
📰 EL MUNDO cover for Sunday, January 31st. Now available in Orbyt and in our digital edition with the best information #ContratoMessi pic.twitter.com/7eSiodkSCb
– LUMEA (@elmundoes) January 30, 2021
The contract coincided with the decline of Barcelona as a force at the highest level in Europe.
Messi led the team to win La Liga in 2018 and 2019, but the Champions League eluded them, being dramatically eliminated from the competition by Rome, Liverpool and Bayern Munich in successive seasons.
These disappointments led Messi to try to force a departure in August 2020, in a move that shocked world football.
This was followed by the resignation of the president who agreed to Messi’s contract for 2017, Josep Maria Bartomeu, in October.
Elections for clubs to elect a new president – for whom resolving Messi’s future will be a priority on the agenda – have been set for January 24, but have been postponed until March due to the coronavirus pandemic.