Lionel Messi shook the footballing world when he announced his against-the-odds move to David Beckham’s Inter Miami despite having lucrative offers from Saudi clubs and an offer from his home club, FC Barcelona. There has been a lot of talk about the Argentine after his heroics in Qatar which proved to be the catalyst in Albiceleste’s global triumph.
Several hearts were broken when Lionel Messi decided to leave Barcelona in the summer of 2021. Due to the despairing financial situation and wrong decisions, the former Barcelona’s number 10 agreed to delayed payments to ease the financial pressures on the club, something that keeps going on even today.
Messi continues to receive money from Barcelona
Last season, the Catalan club were crowned the Spanish champions after a hiatus of three years. Under the new reign of Xavi Hernandez, it seems as though it is all smooth sailing for FC Barcelona, even without the legendary Messi, who was a part of Barcelona folklore for the best parts of two decades where he played over 700 club matches and scored a record 672 goals before leaving the club as a free agent.
The 36-year-old, however, keeps receiving a paycheck from the Blaugranas till today, and will continue to do so until 2025. During a recent interview, the Barcelona president confirmed the fact that Lionel Messi still receives a salary from the Catalan club. Joan Laporta confirmed this, saying: “We have to pay Messi a salary until 2025, as he agreed to delay payments during the previous management.”
Joan Laporta: "We are still paying Leo Messi until 2025. It was an agreement he made with the previous board to defer his salary. As of now, it counts towards our salary bill, but it depends. With La Liga's new rules, these indemnities should not count towards our FFP limit." pic.twitter.com/dtJusO1ShC
— Barça Universal (@BarcaUniversal) July 3, 2023
How much money does Barcelona owe Lionel Messi?
After the seven times Ballon d’Or winner extended his stay at Camp Nou for 4 more years in 2017, he was one of the highest earners in the footballing world. Several reports suggest the Albiceleste’s captain was set to earn $150 million per season.
During the covid-19 pandemic, the club released an official statement that several high-earners of the squad had agreed to deferrals. It read: “The club’s and the player’s representatives have reached an agreement in principle that allows an adjustment to salaries for the current season for an amount of $132 million fixed remuneration, added to that is the deferral for up to three years of variable remuneration from this season, budgeted at an approximate figure of $54 million.”
With 18 months remaining on his contract, the Argentine accepted the deferral of payment. The exact figure of the pending deferral payments owed to the former Barcelona number 10 is not known, but it is no hiding fact that the Catalan club still has several players’ unpaid salaries on its books.
Many fans believed it was only right for Lionel Messi to retire at FC Barcelona, but it seems as though the stars did not align for the Argentine maestro. With his debut in Inter Miami colours fast approaching, his fans all across the globe and excited to see the Argentine embark on this new journey.
