The situation at FC Barcelona is going from bad to worse. Inconsistent results, the presidential elections postponed, and now a catastrophic economic situation. The problems at the club are becoming more dramatic and this time the reliable newspaper El Mundo has dropped a bomb that could cause severe consequences. According to the source, Lionel Messi’s contract has been leaked, which consists of a total figure of €555,237,619.
El Mundo managed to leak a large part of the document that Messi signed in November 2017 with the ex-Barça president Josep María Bartomeu. That contract grants the Argentine up to 138 million euros per season between the base salary and variables. Besides that, the agreement includes two bonuses: one just for accepting the renewal (€115,225,000) and another for loyalty by the Catalan club (€77,929,955).
Despite the disappointments in the Champions League lately for the Catalan club, which offer the highest bonuses, the Blaugrana captain has already secured 92% of the bonuses in his contract. Messi continues to earn from his base salary as well.
The news states that in total, Messi and the club signed a contract worth more than 555 million euros with a duration of four seasons, ending on June 30, 2021. The scandalous figure includes the base salary, image rights, a series of unprecedented bonuses, the player’s diet, and multiple variables depending on various objectives that the Argentine had to reach.
The report is claimed to be ‘very reserved and confidential’, with very few people having access to the files. According to Guillem Balague, however, the yearly salary figures exposed by the report are currently not the same as what the Argentine was earning in 2017.
Besides that, the Catalan club kept ‘showing off’ as being the club with the highest incomes, and that amount should be invested in top players.
Despite the horrible economic situation at Barcelona, it would be harsh to claim that this contract is the reason for it, especially considering that the 33-year-old has been the club’s only hope in the recent years. Saying the same for the Catalan club’s management, is not as easy, of course – not to mention that the club does not have a president currently.
The news comes as a key moment for Barcelona. It could mark the end and the beginning of a new stage, but above all, radically change Leo Messi’s decision to renew or not with the club. Even though his salary is almost impossible for the club to afford currently, the (flawed) information comes in quite disrespectful towards the player’s privacy.
