If you ever tune into a FC Barcelona soccer game, you will surely see something incredible from Lionel Messi.
Even though he stands just 5-foot-7, Messi’s brilliance is almost never denied. Between his speed, his footwork and his knack for finishing, Messi is not only widely regarded as the best player in the world, he has a legitimate argument as the best player of all-time.
His most recent performance was no different than normal. In a La Liga match against Espanyol, Barcelona marched out with an emphatic 4-1 win. Messi dominated, finishing with a goal and two assists.
Messi’s fellow teammate, striker Luis Suarez, finished with two goals in the game. On the second one, Messi weaved his way through four defenders before taking a shot, which bounced off the Espanyol goaltender into the waiting Suarez, who placed it into the back of the net.
Following the game, Suarez said that he wished Messi would have gotten the full credit and the second goal. Then, Suarez said what Messi is able to do is not human.
“I would have preferred that, rather than scoring the second goal myself, Messi could have finished it after his great piece of play,” Suarez said.
“It’s like something from the Playstation,” Suarez said. “He’s a unique player.”
That skill set is going to earn Messi a gigantic contract. Set for a new deal in 2018, Barcelona President Josep Maria Bartomeu is already addressing Messi’s new deal.
According to Bartomeu, Messi will be the highest-paid player in the world.
“There are no doubts that sooner or later we will close [Messi’s] renewal,” Bartomeu said on Tuesday at a press conference. “I hope that he ends his sporting career here and after that I’m sure he will remain linked to the club. He is without doubt the best player in the history of the game and we will make a huge effort to renew his contract.”
“I don’t want to talk about numbers really,” Bartomeu continued. “If he’s the best player in the world, though, then he should be the best player in the world in all aspects, even economically. That’s all I will say on numbers.”
Two contracts come to mind when it comes to a comparison to what Messi’s new deal can warrant. In November, Real Madrid rival and winner of the 2016 Ballon d’or award (given to the best player on a European club) Cristiano Rinaldo, signed a $50 million per year deal through June 2021. The extension will kick in after the 2017-18 season.
That’s about $450,000 per week. Currently, Messi’s deal is worth about $300,000 per week.
Rinaldo is the current highest paid player in the world, but that is about to change. Striker Carlos Tevez is reportedly going to sign a deal with Shanghai Shenhua of the China Super League, which would pay him $762,000 per week.
That is an unprecedented total. If Barcelona and Bartomeu really believe Messi should be the highest paid player in the world, they will have to more than double Messi’s current deal.
More than likely, Bartomeu will have to settle to making Messi the highest paid player in all of Europe. Tevez’s total is just downright absurd.
But what we will see in the foreseeable future is two options: a very, very rich contract or the most insane battle for a player’s rights the world has ever seen.
• Tommy Chalk can be reached at tchalk@washingtontimes.com.
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