CELEBRITY
Barca Still Owe Messi €39m in Loyalty Bonuses
Barcelona still owe Lionel Messi a whopping €39m due to a loyalty bonus inserted in his final contract at Camp Nou.
Messi departed the club after 21 years after failing to find a way to sign a new deal that complied with La Liga’s financial regulations and, as a result, has moved to Pars Saint-Germain to commence a new chapter in his career.
Despite this, dealings between the six-time Ballon d’Or recipient and that Catalan giants are not over. According to El Espanol, in Messi’s mammoth Barça contract there was a loyalty bonus to recognise the glittering work he had done for the club throughout his career.
This bonus amounted to €72m, which former Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu had negotiated to pay in two instalments – the first in June 2020 and the second in June 2021.
However, due to Barcelona’s well-documented financial turmoil, paying this bonus as well as staff salaries became an impossibility and, by February 2021, Messi had received just €8.5m of the sum and is still owed €39m.
Barça find themselves in a situation similar to that of Neymar’s after the Brazilian’s departure in 2017. The PSG forward took his former employers to trial, claiming he hadn’t been paid a loyalty bonus that was inserted into his contract soon before he left for Paris, eventually forcing both parties to come to an agreement for payment.
Things are not expected to turn as sour in Messi’s case, however. The Barça legend is adored and admired by almost the entirety of the club and their fanbase, and will forever live in the memory as their greatest ever player.
For now, though, the 34-year-old turns his attention to PSG, where he has signed a contract thought to be worth between €35m and €40m per year after tax.
Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo crossed one billion followers across his social media accounts, aided by his newly-launched YouTube channel that has attracted more than 60 million subscribers in just over three weeks.
Ronaldo, who scored his 900th career goal last week to help Portugal beat Croatia 2-1 in the Nations League, is the first human being to reach a billion followers on social media, global media reports said.
“We’ve made history, one billion followers! This is more than just a number, it’s a testament to our shared passion, drive, and love for the game and beyond,” Ronaldo posted on X.
“You’ve been with me every step of the way, through all the highs and the lows. This journey is our journey… thank you for believing in me, for your support, and for being part of my life.”
The former Manchester United and Real Madrid player reached the milestone with over 639 million followers on Instagram, 170 million on Facebook and 113 million on X.
The 39-year-old topped Forbes’ list of highest-paid athletes this year, with off-field earnings of $60 million, boosted by his large social media following.
Ronaldo’s club Al-Nassr will host Al-Ahli in the Saudi Pro League on Friday.
-Reuters
Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo launched his YouTube channel on Wednesday and hundreds of thousands of subscribers signed up within a couple of hours.
The 39-year-old five-times Ballon D’Or winner plays for Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr.
“The wait is over. My @YouTube channel is finally here! SIUUUbscribe and join me on this new journey,” Ronaldo posted on his social media accounts.
A couple of hours after posting his first video, 1.69M subscribers had joined he channel.
Ronaldo has 112.5 million followers on the X platform, 170 million on Facebook and 636 million on Instagram.
The former Real Madrid and Manchester United player is preparing for his team’s Saudi Pro League opener against Al-Raed on Thursday.
-Reuters
Inter Miami will be the last club Argentina captain Lionel Messi plays for, the 36-year-old forward said on Wednesday, adding he feels “a little bit scared” at the thought of the day he decides to retire.
Messi, a World Cup winner with Argentina in 2022, has a contract with the Major League Soccer side until 2025 following his arrival last summer after a spell with French champions Paris St Germain.
“Inter Miami will be my last club. I love playing football. I enjoy everything even more because I am aware that there is less and less left,” Messi told ESPN.
“I’m not ready to leave football. I’ve done this all my life, I love playing football, I enjoy training, the day-to-day, the matches… And yes, there’s always a little bit of fear that it’s all over.”
The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi is preparing with his national team to defend their Copa America title, with the tournament kicking off on June 20 in the United States.
Argentina will take on Canada in the opening match before facing Group A rivals Chile on June 25 and Peru four days later.
-Reuters
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