2) Lionel Messi – €170.5m
Trending
Club: FC Barcelona
Age: 29
Contract ends: 2018
Five-time Ballon d’Or winner... Top goalscorer in La Liga... Most goals in a calendar year... The records tumble one after the other and the Argentine forward now has so many to his name that football can be now divided into two eras – Before Messi and After Messi.
No player has dominated club football in the manner Messi has in the past decade or so. And we may never see one like him again for years to come. Most players now burdened with the “next Messi” tag fade into oblivion while Messi simply raises the bar. Even in the years Barcelona struggled (relative to their success under Pep Guardiola i.e.), it was a half-fit Messi that carried the team.
But extending his contract is now Barcelona’s biggest priority. Without the necessary funds, the Catalan club may have to offload one or two other squad players. With a contract that ends next season, they will want to wrap up a new deal before this season ends or they risk losing their most valuable asset for next year – for free!
