Lionel Messi shocked the football world when he announced his departure from Barcelona in 2021, with the all-time great embarking on an unexpected new challenge by signing a contract with Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer.
Only a few months into his stay at Parc des Princes, the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner was already the subject of speculation about how long he would remain in France and where his next transfer might land him.
Details of Lionel Messi’s contract, which saw him earn more than Neymar and Mbappé as of last year, were reported by the French publication L’Equipe.
How much does Lionel Messi earn at PSG?
On the premise that he completes the entirety of the deal he has signed with PSG, which is broken down into two fixed years and an additional optional year, Messi would be paid a net salary of €110 million ($129 million) over three seasons. This is according to an exclusive report by L’Equipe.
Over the course of the three seasons, the €110 million will be dispersed. The attacker, who was born in Rosario, will get a net salary of €30 million for his first season. He will receive €40 million net per season for the next two seasons.
On August 10, 2021, the Argentine football icon sealed his move to France thanks to a spectacular recruitment coup by Ligue 1 champions after seeing an all-time great driven out of Camp Nou due to financial troubles.
In the French capital, there are no such struggles because the affluent owners make sure that no player is beyond the club’s reach even if such a player is playing in the most ambitious of groups.
PSG was pleased to invest extensively in Messi after doing so previously for players like Neymar and Kylian Mbappe, especially because there was no transfer fee necessary to sign the 35-year-old star.
A modern-day great’s deal did not contain a transfer bonus, but it is said that a loyalty fee worth €15 million (£12 million/$17 million) will be paid annually instead.
In what were groundbreaking conditions for sports, it was also reported at the time of Messi’s transfer from Spain to France that a portion of his income will be paid in cryptocurrency.
Messi is undoubtedly making a lot of money at PSG, but his current contract in France falls far short of the one he finalized when playing for Catalunya.
A deal with Barcelona in 2017 was reportedly valued more than $650 million (£486 million) over four years, with $161 million (£120 million) paid out as a basic wage as well as a $135 million (£101 million) signing bonus and $91 million plus (£68 million) loyalty premium.
The PSG loyalty bonus for Messi
In addition, Messi will receive a loyalty incentive totaling €15 million gross, which will be reduced to €10 million net because he did not receive a transfer bonus, as sources close to the player confirmed.
Since Messi was willing to take a pay cut of 50%, which would have made him earn 30 million euros net every season, his compensation is comparable to what he would have made at Barcelona if he had been able to stay.
Recall that the Catalan club was unable to re-register Messi when his contract expired in June 2021 because Barcelona’s wage bill would have been too expensive under LaLiga’s financial fair play rules, despite the Argentine star’s desire to reduce it to half.
When will Lionel Messi’s PSG contract expire?
After welcoming him at Parc des Princes, PSG locked him to a two-year contract, which means that the term ostensibly expires in the summer of 2023.
But since that agreement includes the possibility of an additional 12-month extension, Messi may stay on until the summer of 2024, when he will have turned 37.
Given the numerous rumors of a move abroad, it is unclear whether he will even come close to honoring this promise.
A retracing of his tracks has been predicted ever since he left Camp Nou in August 2021.
Barça has made no secret of the fact that they would like to welcome Messi back at some point in the future, with Dani Alves telling Radio Catalunya that he might play with an old teammate soon.
How did Barcelona handle the Messi-PSG negotiation?
Due to “financial and structural obstacles,” Barcelona was unable to fulfill the terms of a new deal that had been reached with Messi, and the club announced that he would be leaving.
The Argentine international immediately spoke with Mauricio Pochettino, the head coach of PSG, about relocating to Paris that week.
In a move that would reunite him with former Barcelona teammate Neymar, PSG soon emerged as the front-runners for his signature.
In an emotional goodbye press conference on Sunday, Messi expressed his desire to remain in Barcelona.
As he announced the end of his 21-year tenure with Barcelona at his final press conference, Messi was overcome with emotion and earned a standing ovation.
Messi acknowledged that he offered to lower his pay by 50% and that he had come to Barcelona expecting to reach an agreement on the specifics of the announcement of his new five-year contract. But all that is history as he continues to make a mark in France.
