Lionel Messi has made headlines since breaking into the Barcelona first-team over a decade ago. More recently, he has made headlines for all the wrong reasons. His Barcelona contract was recently released to the public amid the club’s financial issues. Messi is linked with a Barcelona exit in the summer of 2021 as both he and the club seek to part ways. Barcelona will save millions if Messi leaves, while the player’s deteriorating relationship with Barcelona will be severed.

How much does Lionel Messi make?

Messi makes a ridiculous £54.2 million per season. That is simply his basic wage per year at the club. The Argentine earns a weekly wage of £988,000. His basic salary is not the only money earned throughout the football season. Messi earns an additional £9.1m in image rights and £13m in various bonuses.

There are expectations that Messi will join one of two clubs, Manchester City or Paris Saint-Germain. While the former would reunite Messi with Pep Guardiola, a transfer to the latter may be more likely due to the amount of money Paris Saint-Germain possess. There are expectations that Messi will remain at Barcelona, however. Once the club elect a new president, all of the issues between Messi and Barcelona could be settled.

Is Lionel Messi the highest-paid athlete?

According to the most recent figures, Messi is the world’s highest-paid athlete, just edging out NFL quarterback Patrick Mahomes. The Kansas City Chiefs quarterback led his team to the NFL’s Super Bowl in the last two seasons, winning one of the two showpiece championship games.

Mahomes makes £392m but has a contract with the Chiefs that lasts 10 years. Messi’s current contract at Barcelona for £492m was good for just four seasons. While Mahome’s is the second-highest paid athlete in the world, five of the top nine highest-paid athletes in the world compete in Major League Baseball (Mike Trout, Bryce Harper, Giancarlo Stanton, Gerrit Cole, and Manny Machado). Meanwhile, Neymar is the fifth highest-paid athlete in the world today.