Messi’s bumper €550m Barcelona contract leaked

A REPORT in Spain has leaked what is claimed to be the contract of superstar Lionel Messi with Barcelona.

The 33-year-old forward has been with the Spanish club since he was 13 and has been instrumental in them being hugely successful since he made his first-team debut 15 years ago.

El Mundo reported on Sunday that Messi’s Barcelona contract is worth around €550m, which makes it the biggest deal in sporting history.

The Argentine great is coming towards the end of his latest four-year deal at the Nou Camp.

El Mundo, citing leaked documents, reported the total value of Messi’s contract at €555,237,619 after claiming to have obtained a copy of the 30-page confidential paperwork.

That is made up of a fixed salary, image rights, variables as well as the tax that Barcelona have had to pay.

Messi’s bumper contract, therefore, is worth on average up to £123m per year with all the bonuses included.

One of those bonuses was a £102m ‘renewal fee’ simply for signing on the dotted line in November 2017.

He then pockets an extra £69m each year as a ‘loyalty bonus’ for staying at the club.

Messi tried to quit Barca last summer by attempting to trigger a clause in his contract allowing him to leave for free

But after threatening legal action, he made a dramatic U-turn to see out the final year.

He is, though, expected to leave after 20 years this summer with Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City among the mega-rich clubs hoping to land the six-time Ballon d’Or winner.

The leaked information regarding Messi’s contract comes just days after Barcelona’s financial report revealed debts of £1billion.

That includes a short-term debt of £638m, £236m of which needs to be paid back to various banks and financial institutions before June 30.

The sun.co.uk.