Unless you have been living under a rock, you will know that Lionel Messi has joined Paris Saint-Germain on a massive new contract following his Barcelona expert. Messi isn’t set to play for PSG until mid-September due to needing a “proper preseason”. With the Argentine now set to play the next to years in France, let’s look at Lionel Messi’s new PSG contract.
Lionel Messi’s new PSG contract
Reports claim that the Ligue 1 giants have provided Messi with a salary worth €35 million or approximately £29.7 million per year. Lionel Messi’s new PSG contract will pay him nearly €3 million, or £2.7 million, a month.
Messi’s contract is good for the next two years and there is an option for a third season at the Parc des Princes. For the first two years, the ex-Barcelona player will earn €75m and bag a €25m signing bonus.
Messi’s new PSG deal works out at around €481,000 a week, or €68,682 a day or €2,862 per hour or €47.69 per minute or €0.80 per second. Make the contract even more remarkable, is the money mentioned previously comes before any bonuses and sponsorships. Therefore, Messi will make even more money in France when his off-field interests are included.
Why did Messi leave Barcelona?
First and foremost, the reason Messi left Barcelona was due to the financial mismanagement of the Spanish club. For the last decade, massive contracts were handed out to players, many of whom did not pan out, causing the club to struggle to meet La Liga’s salary cap structure to keep clubs from spending too much money.
In addition to massive salaries, Barcelona had paid huge transfer fees for the likes of Luis Suarez, Philippe Coutinho, and Ousmane Dembele. The club had attempted to offload their high-wage earners. However, no other clubs were willing or are willing to take those players on at their incredibly inflated salaries. Barcelona have made this bed for themselves and must now lie in it.
Barcelona have blamed La Liga for its financial rules for Messi leaving. The club have tried to put pressure on La Liga to let them break the rules all other clubs must adhere to. Barcelona’s problems aren’t just Messi. The club may not be able to register new players Memphis Depay, Sergio Aguero, or Eric Garcia this season due to their financial issues.