Lionel Messi and Barcelona will take legal action against the Spanish newspaper El Mundo after they revealed the leaked details of the forward’s record-breaker on Sunday.
El Mundo has published documents relating to Messi’s four-year deal, signed in 2017, and outlined the € 555 million he would receive if all additions were met. The report claims that Messi’s contract is the largest ever signed by an athlete.
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Sources confirmed to ESPN that Messi will take action against El Mundo and any Barca staff involved in the leak of the contract. There are only four copies of the contract: Messi has one, Barca has another, La Liga has one copy and so does Cuatrecasas, the law firm used by International Argentina.
Barca, meanwhile, have responded by denying any involvement in the leak of the contract, saying they will also take ‘appropriate legal action’ against the newspaper.
“In the light of the information published today by El Mundo regarding the professional contract signed between FC Barcelona and player Lionel Messi, the club regrets its publication as it is a private document based on the principle of confidentiality between the parties, “the Catalan club said in a statement.
FC Barcelona categorically disclaims all responsibility for the publication of this document, and will take appropriate legal action against the newspaper El Mundo, for any damages that may be caused as a result of this publication.
“FC Barcelona expresses its absolute support for Lionel Messi, especially in light of any attempt to discredit his image, and for his relationship with the company where he worked to become the best player in the world and in football history, to damage. “
According to El Mundo, Messi will receive a maximum of € 555 237 619 ($ 673 919 105) over four seasons if a series of conditions are met.
Including image rights, the report explains that Messi has split a € 115 million renewal bonus and a € 77 million loyalty bonus into two payments, as revealed by ESPN in November.
Messi is said to earn around € 72 million annually, apart from playing more than 60% of the matches during a season, advancing to the Champions League, winning La Liga or the Copa del Rey and winning FIFA’s The Best has.
A number of these performance-oriented additions have not been met, and it should also be noted that Messi accepted a salary cut when the coronavirus pandemic affected football in March last year.
Therefore, he does not earn the full € 555 million written in the contract, which expires on June 30.
Messi’s future out there remains unknown. He tried to leave the club last summer, but was shut down by then-president Josep Maria Bartomeu.
In a recent interview, he explained that he has not yet made a decision about his future and that he will decide his next step when the season ends.
Bartomeu left Camp Nou and elected a new president on March 7. All three candidates for the presidency – Joan Laporta, Victor Font and Toni Friexa – have expressed a desire to keep Messi at the club.
However, negotiations on a new agreement can only start in March and the new terms must correspond to the new financial position of the club.
The club’s annual accounts, dated August 2020, revealed earlier this month that the Catalan club’s gross debt had risen to almost € 1.2 billion.