What was Lionel Messi's salary at Barcelona?

Lionel Messi was reportedly the highest paid sportsperson in the world when he was at Barcelona. The 6-time Ballon d'Or winner was earning an astronomical salary (fixed amount) of 71 million euros per year at Barcelona and also had plenty of other bonuses and clauses in his contract.

According to El Mundo, the contract, which was renewed in 2017, made Lionel Messi an incredible €555 million in just 4 years. Although Messi continued performing at extremely high levels on the pitch, some bad financial decisions and the Covid-19 pandemic put Barcelona in an extremely precarious situation.

El Mundo today, what a bomb. Leo Messi’s contract with Barcelona revealed on front page 🔴👇🏻 @elmundoes- €555,237,619 contract [4 years].- €138m per season fixed + variables.- €115,225,000 as ‘renewal fee’ just for accepting the contract.- €77,929,955 loyalty bonus. pic.twitter.com/FK3I34hJta

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) January 31, 2021

This financial mismangement on the part of Barcelona has now seen Lionel Messi depart the club as a free agent.

Lionel Messi might have to take a pay cut when he joins a new club

With the Coronavirus pandemic ravaging the world, not many football clubs will be able to afford such a high salary. Even the likes of Manchester City, PSG and Chelsea will be wary of offering such high wages to Lionel Messi.

With Messi now 34, the Barcelona superstar might have to take a pay cut from his previous salary to secure a move this transfer window. Earning more than €1 million/week is not a possibility in the current market.

Messi was in Barcelona to sign the contract 🇦🇷No tension - total agreement & announcement scheduled.Barça told Leo they’re blocked by La Liga & not able to sign now.Issues also with other players.Messi appreciated Laporta’s honesty.PSG already started direct contacts 🇫🇷 pic.twitter.com/O0BBEZYU57

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 5, 2021

In fact, both Lionel Messi and Barcelona were eager to sign a new contract. There were reports that Messi had even agreed to a pay cut to stay at Camp Nou. However, La Liga regulations and Barcelona's financial problems meant that the Catalan giants were helpless and had to release the Argentine superstar.

What are Barcelona's next steps?

The loss of Lionel Messi is certainly a huge blow to Barcelona. Under Ronald Koeman, the Catalan giants are in a rebuilding phase and will have to use the transfer market intelligently.

Barcelona have already signed the likes of Memphis Depay, Eric Garcia and Sergio Aguero on free transfers. However, they will also have to get rid of some deadwood in their club to free up their financial situation. Some players like Coutinho and Samuel Umtiti are on high salaries, but they are finding no takers in the transfer market.

But the future is not all doom and gloom for Barcelona. Young players like Ansu Fati, Pedri and Frenkie de Jong have shown that they are more than capable of injecting quality into this Barcelona side. It will be interesting to see what steps Barcelona take in the next few weeks.

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