Details of Lionel Messi's eye-watering Barcelona contract revealed
By Tom Gott
Barcelona star Lionel Messi's current contract will see him earn £492m by the time it expires next summer, making it the biggest deal in the history of sports.
Messi became the highest-paid footballer in the world when he penned the four-year deal with Barça back in November 2017, with club officials more than happy to pay up to prevent him from walking away for free in 2018.
? In case you missed the story, Leo #Messi renewed his contract with FC Barcelona earlier today ... and here are the pictures to prove it!
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) November 26, 2017
Great news for Barça fans all over the world! ?? pic.twitter.com/UofY5seBIC
Rumours in the infamous Football Leaks drama in 2018 shed some light on just how much Messi would earn from that contract, but El Mundo now claim to have a copy of the paperwork which reveals the true extent of Messi's earnings.
It's stated that Messi is guaranteed to take home £122m each season, but that's not even the craziest part. There was a £102m bonus handed to the Argentine simply for signing the contract, on top of a £69m loyalty bonus he gets every season for staying at the club.
The deal also includes bonuses like more than £520,000 for winning FIFA's The Best award, something he did in 2015 when it was known as World Player of the Year, and £3.1m if Barcelona reach the Champions League final.
With a total value of £492m, Messi's contract is now understood to be the biggest in the history of sports, beating the £402m ten-year deal inked by Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and boxer Canelo Alvarez's £292m five-fight deal with DAZN.
News of Messi's contract comes just days after the club revealed their 2019/20 financial report, which showed Barcelona are facing gross debts of £1bn.
It's prompted claims that Messi has 'ruined' Barcelona - something El Mundo go along with in their headline - but presidential candidate Victor Font has hit back at the idea that Messi has run the club into the ground.
"Leo Messi has earned every euro paid to him by Barca," Font wrote on Twitter. "He has not ruined us. On the contrary. He is the best player in history and we want him to stay with us forever more."
Instead, others have pointed to the combined £384.5m which was spent to sign Philippe Coutinho, Ousmane Dembele and Antoine Griezmann, none of whom have really justified their lofty price tags at Camp Nou.