A recent report from El Mundo suggests that Lionel Messi had interesting contract demands to remain at Barcelona in 2020.
At that time, the Argentine had one year left on his contract and was looking for a series of changes and benefits. In fact, he made nine demands, specifically, ranging from exorbitant bonuses to a private plane. The player and the club failed to agree on an extension and his contract expired in the summer of 2021.
Messi stayed a year at the club after these demands. However, he left for PSG as a free agent.
Messi’s contract demands at Barcelona
Messi’s demands to remain at Barcelona existed for a possible three-year contract. At the time, Messi was 33 years old and he practically brought Barcelona to prominence in the previous campaign.
Three-year extension Private box for both his family and Luis Suarez $10 million bonus $10,000 release clause (previously $700 million) Reimbursement of salary cuts during the pandemic (with interest) Private plane Salary increase Personal assistant Commission for his brother Barcelona’s reaction
Barça and Lionel Messi reached an agreement on seven of those nine demands. However, the Catalan club objected to the huge transfer bonus and ridiculously low release clause. LaLiga insists that teams issue termination clauses to their players. A $10,000 release clause, particularly for a player like Messi, is essentially nonexistent.
Following the publication of the report, Barca issued a statement rejecting the claims. “In relation to the information published today in El Mundo del Siglo XXI under the title ‘Barça Leaks, the secret files of the Club part 1’, FC Barcelona expresses its outrage at the intentional leak of information that is part of a judicial process” , says the statement. read statement.
“The Club regrets that the media outlet in question boasts of having ‘access to a huge amount of documents and emails that are part of the Barçagate investigation’ when this information has not yet been shared”.
“In any case, the article in question makes public documents that have nothing to do with the current case and its use is an affront to the Club’s reputation and confidentiality. For this reason, and with the aim of protecting the rights of FC Barcelona, the Club’s legal department is studying the legal measures that must be taken”.
Previous reports suggested that Messi earned a base salary of around $168.5 million per season in his final years at Barca. These figures also did not include massive bonuses.
PHOTO: IMAGO / Xinhua
