Messi becomes world’s best-paid player

May 31, 2014

Lionel Messi has signed a restructured contract extension with Barcelona that reportedly makes the Argentine international the world’s highest-paid football player.

Barcelona had originally announced the deal last Friday but said it was officially signed on Monday. The Catalan club said Messi “was very motivated by the deal.”

The 26-year-old will earn a reported $27m (N4.2bn) per season with further incentives able to drive the deal up to $34m (N5.2bn) per year until the contract ends in 2017-18 — surpassing Cristiano Ronaldo’s deal with Real Madrid. Messi also has a buy-out clause of $343m (N52.8bn).

Messi’s previous contract ran through the 2017-18 season and was worth a reported $22m (N3.4bn) per season.

Messi’s deal came two days after Barcelona lost its Spanish league title to Atletico Madrid following a 1-1 draw between the teams at its Camp Nou Stadium.

New deal drives Messi’s net worth

Sports marketing specialist, Gerardo Molina, has claimed that the Barcelona superstar is worth €400m (N85bn).

Molina, who works for Euromericas Sport Marketing, has written a report on the market value of the attacker, and has revealed that there is a club willing to pay an astonishing fee for the Argentine forward.

He said, “There is a club that is practically sponsored by a government that would be prepared to pay €400m (N85bn) for Leo Messi.

“There are three European clubs that asked us to come up with this study in order to find out how much Messi was worth.

“We cannot say who the clubs are. The clubs wanted to analyse the viability of a possible transfer for Messi.

“Messi is five times more marketable than Cristiano Ronaldo. According to studies, Ronaldo is worth around €155m (N33bn).

“Messi’s buy-out clause is €250m (N53bn), but we believe that figure is obsolete and devalued. Right now there is no player in the world of sport that has a greater value than Leo Messi. According to market research in the last five years, Messi is worth €400m (N85bn).”

Lionel Messi, born June 24, 1987, currently has an estimated net worth of $115m (N18bn) and his status as the world’s best player has started to translate into endorsement opportunities.

Nicknamed “The Flea” for his diminutive stature, Messi is the world’s best football player, having been voted player of the year the past two seasons. He reportedly earns $16m (N2.5bn) annually, but with the new Barcelona deal, he is expected to earn up to $27m (N4.2bn) annually.

He has recently built up his endorsement portfolio which now includes Adidas, PepsiCo, Konami, Audemars Piguet, Chery and AirEuropa. Dolce & Gabbana also struck a deal in October, 2013 with the Barcelona forward.

The Argentine footballer currently plays for FC Barcelona and the Argentina national team as a forward or winger. He also holds Spanish citizenship, which makes him eligible as a EU player.

According to Forbes magazine, Lionel Messi makes substantial amount of money every year through some of the highest paying sponsorship deals he has signed over the years.

Messi has mansions and cars to show for his success

The Argentine star of Barcelona FC owns a house in the form of football in Bdralbs neighbourhood in Catalan city, Spain. The house was designed by world-class architect, Luis de Garrido.

Among his many car possessions, Messi owns a 2009 Maserati Strada. The new Maserati has a 440 HP V8 4.7 engine and an electro-actuated gearbox with fast MC-Shift arranged in the Transaxle layout typical of high-performance sports cars that represents the technological DNA of all Maseratis. It gives a performance of 0-60 mph 4.8 secs.

He also owns a Lexus sports car which features sport-tuned suspension, aluminum trim on the interior, a different front fascia, 18-inch wheels, leather interior with heated and ventilated seats, a voice-activated navigation system with rear parking assist and Bluetooth, a radar-enforced Pre-Collision System with Dynamic Radar Cruise control, parking assist, moonroof and much more.

The young superstar also owns other world supercars including a Dodge Charger SRT8, Audi Q7 (a full-size luxury crossover SUV), a Ferrari F430 Spider, and a customised Audi R8.

Some facts about Messi

• Messi supports a number of charities through his Leo Messi Foundation.

• He was offered a place in the national team by Spain which he did not accept.

• He rakes in more than $35m (N5.4bn) a year in salary.

• Barcelona officials were quick to spot his footballing skills.

• He is sponsored by Adidas and appears in their television commercials around the globe.

• His family is of middle-class Italian origin.

• He was detected with a growth hormone deficiency at the age of 11.

• Messi’s favourite music styles are Samba and Cumbi.

• He shares his birthplace with the Argentine revolutionary, Che Guevera.

• He is the third youngest; he has two brothers and a sister.

• In January 2013, he became the first player to ever win the Ballon d’Or for four years straight.