Lionel Messi's eye-watering demands to stay at Barcelona in 2020 have been revealed in a significant leak.
The veteran superstar left the Spanish giants in summer 2021 after 21 years at the club, joining Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer when his contract expired.
And according to revelations from El Mundo on Tuesday evening, Messi's stipulations to stay at cash-strapped Barcelona included a massive signing-on bonus of £8.7million and a private jet to fly his family back to Argentina at Christmas.
He also requested a luxury executive box at the Nou Camp for his family and the family of former Barca team-mate Luis Suarez, with the security of a three-year deal until 2023 plus an option to extend.
Other demands made in June 2020 included lowering his buyout clause from £610m to a nominal fee of just £8,700 - almost negligible given the money in today's market.
Additionally, after accepting a 20 per cent pay cut to his fixed salary in 2020-21 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, he asked for that to be recouped with a 10 per cent increase to his net salary of £65m a year for the next two seasons, plus a three per cent increase in annual interest.
The information was recovered from emails between Jorge Messi, Lionel's father and representative, the 35-year-old's legal team, and Barcelona chiefs including then-president Josep Bartomeu.
El Mundo report Barcelona accepted all of Messi's demands except two: refusing to lower his release clause to £8,700 and making the £8.7m signing-on bonus conditional on the club returning to their pre-pandemic income, which was and is unlikely given their well-publicised financial issues.
Due to this, the 162-cap international quit negotiations, culminating the infamous 'Burofax' sent to the club to inform them of his desire to leave.
Spanish newspaper El Mundo had previously leaked the details of Messi's gargantuan £492m contract
JoyNg
361
Something my GOAT will never do👏👏🐐💚
fizbizzie
245
Messi you are still asking too little for what you have brought to the club.
Holuwhapamilerin
180
THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME for A REASON
Chynq
111
Messi took everything Barcelona had. Couldn’t even play for free or lesser salary to stay.
Jotclmprtu
76
Messi help to make Barca go bankrupt, Barca spent more then €1 billion on Messi doing his time at the camp, reason why he couldn't leave to go join another club, because no club could waste that amount on him
biedekmnor
45
That was what makes pique to hate him because of his greediness. he look innocent but very devilish.
N0_N0NsENSE
26
Something my GOAT will never do👏👏🐐💚
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lmao asked for more money and was sold by Perez. 😭😭
JohnRahul
26
Something my GOAT will never do👏👏🐐💚
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Nobody wanted your goat in the first place lol 🤣
malablata
21
Imagine, Messi was making £65m a year, with 52 weeks in a year, it means he was making £1.25m a week. This guy weren't satisfied and wanted increment by 10% and this would had taken his money to £71.5m meaning he would had been pocketing £1.375m a week. He even wanted signing on bonus as a 34yrs, 3yrs contract, private jet, a place in the royal box with the same security the queen of England had, all this for free when he was pocketing such a huge sum and flopping in the champions league. Messi 21 years association with Barca came with 4UCL, he was influential in just 2 of them, the 2009 and 2011, the 2006 was a Ronaldinho and Eto, and the 2015 was an all Neymar affairs. C. Ronaldo 9 years association with Real Madrid (12yrs less than Messi association with Barca) brought Madrid 4 UCL, all of which he was by far their best player, and never at real did he pocket up to half a million pound a week. Why won't Barca be this poor? Stupid club. You took this midget from a growth deficiency, pump him with drugs to grow and become a footballer and yet you allowed him to run the club into poverty. This is actually greediness on the part of Messi. Pique was right to throw jabs at this guy, no real Barcelona fan will ever love Messi. The only Barca fans liking Messi right now are the kids on this app. Messi is too greedy, and the bad part is that he has no investments, always renting......
Fihacekry
21
Something my GOAT will never do👏👏🐐💚
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Perez kicked the hell out Madrid bcoz he wanted salary same as Messi 🤣🤣
zitakpsu
14
Messi has demanded less than what he's brought to the club
CraigJack
9
Messi you are still asking too little for what you have brought to the club.
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Alot of Coupa Del Rey trophies dude.🤣🤣🤣
JohnRahul
9
Messi took everything Barcelona had. Couldn’t even play for free or lesser salary to stay.
The level of stupidity people possess in insane 😮
Tasbemnotz
8
Messi took everything Barcelona had. Couldn’t even play for free or lesser salary to stay.
Go tell your father that he should work for free and see if he will not faint because of hunger