The banter has been ongoing in recent weeks about Lionel Messi’s astronomical earnings from Barcelona. While his ginormous salary seems to defy justification in view of the current financial climate exacerbated by the pandemic, it’s only fair to ask exactly how much money Messi is bringing in for the club.
The Barcelona talisman’s contract runs out this summer with the club management unenviably caught in between the devil and the deep blue sea confronting the decision of offering him a lucrative contract that he can’t refuse or to let him walk away on a free transfer. Already saddled with enormous debts and allegedly on the verge of bankruptcy, will it be worth it for Barcelona to keep a player who commands such an enormous paycheck?
The answer obviously lies in Messi’s ability to bring in the big greenbacks, hence the inevitable, and probably rhetorical, question of whether the mercurial Argentine brings in more than he earns?
According to an analysis by Marca, Messi is evidently able to bring in approximately 130 to 200 million euros annually in terms of quantifiable financial contributions. However, Messi’s value to the club goes way beyond purely financial considerations.
Economist Ivan Cabeza says:
“There are things that we cannot quantify exactly but that show us the importance of Messi. For example, 36 percent of the trophies won by Barcelona have been won with him. Most commercial or sponsorship contracts have a clause that is determined according to this player.”
Cabeza adds that on a brand affinity and emotional level, Messi is undeniably synonymous with the Barcelona brand almost to the point of being inseparable and the Barcelona-Messi umbrella brand is long an established global presence. In fact, there are tourists who come to the city to hoping to see the player in action, besides his legions of followers on social media.
Based on both the tangible and intangible impacts that Messi has on the club, the economist believes that Messi is bringing into the club’s coffers more than what he earns. Reports surfaced the previous week stating that Messi will receive about 555,237,619 euros in total from his current contract alone. As a matter of fact, that amount is what he would be earning from 2017-2021.
The only drawback now going forward with the Messi scenario is that with lockdowns still in place for an indefinite period of time, the club’s ability to make the most out of Messi’s presence is somewhat hampered.
Shirt sales while continuing to generate income have dropped, and ticket sales from live matches and special events will continue to be only a fraction of what it once was. However, that said, without Messi it remains to be seen if sponsors will continue to support the club without the Barcelona iconic talisman enhancing their brand identity and stature.
A big decision will have to be made very soon, but either way, the club needs to shore up and be ready to build a plan for a future without Messi, which is an eventual outcome, sooner or later.