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HIGHEST-PAID FOOTBALLER IN THE MAKING: MESSI TO EARN £14,200 AN HOUR AT MANCHESTER CITY

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Even as Jorge Messi, the father and agent of legendary Lionel Messi lands in Barcelona this morning for a crunch talk with Josep Maria Bartomeu, the president of Barcelona over the footballer’s future, it is gathered that Messi has already reached an agreement with Manchester City.

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The making of the highest-paid individual in the history of football

 
 
 

He has reportedly agreed a record £623million deal to join the English Premiership top flight club.

According to Record Sport, Messi has agreed financial terms on a five-year contract worth a total of €700m (£623m).

The incredible deal would make the Argentine the highest-paid individual in the history of the sport.

It equates to £14,200 an hour, £341,000 per day, £2.4m every week and a whopping £10.4m per month.

Messi is set to spend three seasons at the Etihad before joining City Football Group’s Major League Soccer side New York City FC for two years.

It is also reported that Messi could be offered an equity stake in CFG as part of his package.

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The six-time Ballon d’Or winner has been at loggerheads with Barcelona since he handed in his transfer request to leave on a free.

New Barcelona boss Ronald Koeman has decided that if Messi does not want to stay at the Spanish giants it would be better to get him out as soon as possible.

And Barca presidential hopeful Victor Font insists current president Josep Maria  Bartomeu must honour his pledge to allow the Argentine superstar “to leave whenever he wants.”

Messi’s father and representative, Jorge Messi, yesterday flew by private jet from his home in Argentina city Rosario to Spain for showdown talks with Barcelona chiefs today.

And Font declared: “A couple of months ago the president said players have earned the right to leave and retire whenever they want.

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“Now, because of these very exceptional circumstances, he has to honour that commitment.”

When asked whether Messi had been betrayed by the club, Font added: “There is an inconsistency, probably due to mismanagement by the current  board, trying to hide behind these wrongdoings.

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“That’s why it’s extremely important for the history of the club that we do what it takes.”

Barcelona claim Messi, 33, is on STRIKE after failing to report for a Covid test and pre-season training.

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But the superstar no longer considers himself a part of  Koeman’s squad following a bitter row over his contract.

His legal team claim he is now a free agent after faxing his transfer request and can leave without his huge 700m euros buy-out clause being paid, while Barca and LaLiga insist the contract terms are still in force.

In a Sky Sports interview Font added: “I’m sure what Messi has decided has not been a last-minute decision, it’ll be something well thought out.

“I really hope the decision can be changed, but it doesn’t seem likely and if that’s the case the focus should be on  getting the transition that Messi deserves.

“We  need to ensure  the  legal battle between the club and  Messi stops. We sit down, we talk. Let’s make sure we don’t get into an even worse situation.”

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It equates to £14,200 an hour, £341,000 per day, £2.4m every week and a whopping £10.4m per month.

Messi is set to spend three seasons at the Etihad before joining City Football Group’s Major League Soccer side New York City FC for two years.

It is also reported that Messi could be offered an equity stake in CFG as part of his package.

The six-time Ballon d’Or winner has been at loggerheads with Barcelona since he handed in his transfer request to leave on a free.

New Barcelona boss Ronald Koeman has decided that if Messi does not want to stay at the Spanish giants it would be better to get him out as soon as possible.

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And Barca presidential hopeful Victor Font insists current president Josep Maria  Bartomeu must honour his pledge to allow the Argentine superstar “to leave whenever he wants.”

Messi’s father and representative, Jorge Messi, yesterday flew by private jet from his home in Argentina city Rosario to Spain for showdown talks with Barcelona chiefs today.

And Font declared: “A couple of months ago the president said players have earned the right to leave and retire whenever they want.

“Now, because of these very exceptional circumstances, he has to honour that commitment.”

When asked whether Messi had been betrayed by the club, Font added: “There is an inconsistency, probably due to mismanagement by the current  board, trying to hide behind these wrongdoings.

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season

“That’s why it’s extremely important for the history of the club that we do what it takes.”

Barcelona claim Messi, 33, is on STRIKE after failing to report for a Covid test and pre-season training.

But the superstar no longer considers himself a part of  Koeman’s squad following a bitter row over his contract.

His legal team claim he is now a free agent after faxing his transfer request and can leave without his huge 700m euros buy-out clause being paid, while Barca and LaLiga insist the contract terms are still in force.

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In a Sky Sports interview Font added: “I’m sure what Messi has decided has not been a last-minute decision, it’ll be something well thought out.

“I really hope the decision can be changed, but it doesn’t seem likely and if that’s the case the focus should be on  getting the transition that Messi deserves.

“We  need to ensure  the  legal battle between the club and  Messi stops. We sit down, we talk. Let’s make sure we don’t get into an even worse situation.”

Kunle Solaja is the author of landmark books on sports and journalism as well as being a multiple award-winning journalist and editor of long standing. He is easily Nigeria’s foremost soccer diarist and Africa's most capped FIFA World Cup journalist, having attended all FIFA World Cup finals from Italia ’90 to Qatar 2022. He was honoured at the Qatar 2022 World Cup by FIFA and AIPS.

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La Liga

Barca left waiting for Camp Nou return after permit denied

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Visit of FC Barcelona's new Spotify Camp Nou, Barcelona, Spain - September 23, 2025 General view inside the stadium during the visit REUTERS/Albert Gea

Barcelona said their request for a permit to return to the Camp Nou for Sunday’s LaLiga match against Real Sociedad has been denied, with the city council highlighting safety and security issues with the revamped venue.

Barca had been hoping to return to a reduced-capacity Camp Nou with 27,000 spectators but have failed to obtain the necessary permits from Barcelona City Council.

Barca will instead host the match at the Lluis Companys Olympic Stadium in Montjuic, where they played during the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons with renovations at Camp Nou now nine months behind schedule.

“We have spotted different elements that need to be fixed and have an impact in the safety and security of the stadium,” chief of civil protection Sebastia Massague said at a city council meeting.

Barca had to begin their LaLiga home campaign at the Estadi Johan Cruyff in their own training complex, where only 6,000 fans attended their match against Valencia on September 14, after a Post Malone concert left the Lluis Companys pitch in poor condition.

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“The club is currently working on the new amendments that the council has shared today,” Barca said in a statement.

On Friday, the Catalan club also announced that their Champions League group stage match against Paris St Germain on October 1 would also take place at the Lluis Companys.

Barca are second in LaLiga, trailing leaders Real Madrid by five points but having played a game fewer.

-Reuters

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Thomas Partey pleads not guilty to rape, sexual assault charges in UK

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Villarreal midfielder Thomas Partey on Wednesday appeared in a London court and pleaded not guilty to charges of rape and sexual assault involving three women.

Partey, a Ghana international, is accused of five counts of rape relating to two women, plus a charge of sexual assault against a third woman, between April 2021 and June 2022.

The alleged offences took place when Partey played for Premier League soccer club Arsenal. He left the club this summer and signed for Spain’s Villarreal.

The 32-year-old appeared in the dock at Southwark Crown Court and spoke only to confirm his name and date of birth and enter his not guilty pleas.

Partey was released on bail ahead of his trial, which was listed for Nov. 2, 2026 and is due to take between six and eight weeks.

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He was signed by Arsenal from Atletico Madrid for 50 million euros ($59.2 million) in 2020 and became a key member of the English side’s first team, before his contract expired at the end of June.

Partey played for Villarreal in their Champions League game against Arsenal’s bitter rivals Tottenham Hotspur on Tuesday night.

He came on as a second-half substitute and was booed loudly by the Spurs fans every time he touched the ball.

-Reuters

Villarreal and Ghana midfielder Thomas Partey, who has been charged with five counts of rape and one count of sexual assault, walks outside Southwark Crown Court, in London, Britain, September 17, 2025. REUTERS/Maja Smiejkowska

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La Liga

Real Madrid oppose LaLiga Miami match and urge UEFA, FIFA to block it

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LaLiga - Real Madrid v Girona - Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid, Spain - February 10, 2024 General view inside the stadium before the match REUTERS/Isabel Infantes/File Photo

Real Madrid on Tuesday denounced plans to stage a LaLiga match between Barcelona and Villarreal in Miami, warning the proposal could undermine football’s competitive balance and vowing to petition global governing bodies to block the move.

The Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) on Monday approved the December 20 fixture at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, which could become the first LaLiga match held abroad and the first European league fixture staged in the United States.

“Real Madrid wish to express to its members, supporters and football fans in general its firm rejection of the proposal,” the club said in a statement, revealing they have already urged FIFA, UEFA and Spain’s Higher Sports Council (CSD) to intervene.

The club accused the RFEF of making its decision “without informing or consulting the clubs participating in the competition” and argued that staging the match in Miami “violates the essential principle of territorial reciprocity” in home-and-away league formats.

Real further stated that the move would “alter the competitive balance” and grant “an unfair sporting advantage” to the clubs involved.

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The club also warned that approving the proposal could compromise sporting integrity and “set an unacceptable precedent,” insisting any change of this nature should require “the express and unanimous agreement of all the clubs participating in the competition”.

The plan still requires approval from UEFA, US Soccer, CONCACAF and ultimately FIFA before LaLiga President Javier Tebas can realise his long-held ambition of taking Spanish football to the U.S.

-Reuters

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