Lionel Messi is vigilant: he already has five suspects in the leak of his contract with FC Barcelona, he has promised to bring them to trial and this time, instead of attacks of honesty, he has chosen to keep the decision on his future until June, which at the same time light of recent events seem close to goodbye.
But outside its bubble, the scoop from the newspaper El Mundo on the real terms of its contract and the minutiae of each clause is daily news.
Much has been said but much more is missing: of the 555 million euros for four seasons, which makes him the highest paid athlete of all time in the world, well above NFL star Patrick Mahomes with the Kansas City Chiefs, It’s the tip of the iceberg. The clause of 77 million a year for ‘fidelity’, which will be charged with or without him in the workforce and another series of agreements that have been highly questioned in times of crisis, are already in the light of everyone.
But the detail that has just been really known is out of all calculations: even the possible independence of Catalonia was foreseen as a possible cause of termination of the link!
According to the exclusive El Mundo, Messi had the obligation to “integrate into Catalan society and culture”, for which he had to start by learning the language.
Did? Did anyone hear you speak in a language other than Spanish … Argentine, actually? No, but it is certain that it has that capacity, because if it meets this requirement, it will be able to activate a free transfer, provided that Catalonia becomes independent from Spain.
The great signer of the leak, former president Josep Bartomeu, told ESport3 that this leak is “totally illegal” and warned: “Speaking on television and making accusations is easy, but it is not a joke and this will end in court.” And so Laporta, the strongest candidate to replace him. And so everyone, full of panic after the announcements of the club and of Messi himself to discover the ‘mole’ at whatever price.
All accused, all suspects. But of the terms of such an incredibly high contract, beyond the consideration of whether it is worth it or not, little is said. It means that every word published by El Mundo is real. And discovering those minutiae by drop, as it is happening, is most disconcerting … if not scandalous.