GiveMeSport
·18 September 2021
GiveMeSport
·18 September 2021
Earlier this month, fans were taken aback by the revelation that Paris Saint-Germain superstar Neymar earns in excess of €500,000 each month thanks to a clause in his contract with the Ligue 1 side that rewards him for being 'courteous, punctual, friendly, and available to fans.'
That's over €6 million a year for what essentially amounts to good behaviour - in addition to his gross annual salary of around €50m. Crazy money!
When the Parisian giants sensationally managed to land six-time Ballon d'Or winner Lionel Messi on a free transfer following his enforced departure from Barcelona over the summer, the Argentina captain's signature was never going to come cheap.
Details of the three-year contract that Messi penned with PSG have now been leaked by French outlet L'Equipe - and it's a monster deal!
Per the Daily Mail Messi is set to earn a salary of €30m (£25.6m) during his first season in the French capital. However, that figure will reportedly rise to €40m (£34.1m) for the final two years of his contract.
Prior to leaving the Camp Nou, Messi was set to reduce his salary at Barcelona to the same €30m that he will earn at PSG. Unfortunately for the Blaugrana, a new deal for their record goalscorer under those terms was impossible, because of their own perilous financial situation.
Ultimately, though, the 34-year-old superstar's base salary will be broadly the same now that he has linked up with Mauricio Pochettino's men - and that's far from the end of the package that helped PSG get their man.
As his new side did not have to pay a transfer fee to Barca, it is believed that Messi himself will pocket €15m (£12.8m) per year in the form of a 'loyalty bonus'.
Messi's arrival at the Parc des Princes has also enabled PSG to secure a partnership with cryptocurrency site Crypto.com - from which it is estimated the player will receive around €30m across the three years duration of his deal, a perk that not even Neymar enjoys!
The overall value of Messi's PSG contract, therefore, stands at a mind-boggling €94m. On ability alone, he deserves to be among the best-paid players in the world - and these figures certainly place him at that level.
Lionel Messi: Can you get 20/20 on this quiz about his Barcelona career?
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In fact, Messi's first-year salary in Paris already puts him €5m ahead of teammate Kylian Mbappe, who is said to earn €25m per year under his current deal.
PSG now possess one of the most star-studded squads ever assembled. It certainly hasn't been cheap to put together, but once all of the team's top names are match-fit and firing, they look a stern challenge for any opposition.