Lionel Messi scored in first-half stoppage time to save a point for Inter Miami in Sunday's MLS fixture against Toronto FC.
Messi is being handsomely rewarded for seeing out his career in Major League Soccer, where he plays under coach Javier Mascherano and alongside Luis Suarez and Jordi Alba.
The Barcelona connection makes the Flamingos a threat to any defence in North America but eight-time Ballon d'Or winner Messi is gradually approaching the end of his playing days.
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At his extraordinary peak, the World Cup winner was the best footballer in the world by far and Barcelona paid him accordingly.
In 2021, the contract he signed at the Nou Camp four years earlier was revealed to a stunned public by EL MUNDO and the sums involved made it the most lucrative contract in sports history.
Barcelona got their rewards too, winning La Liga and the Copa del Rey twice each within the duration of the contract, which saw Messi paid the astonishing amount of €555,237,619 gross over four years.
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After deductions, the former Barcelona man is believed to have taken home approximately €297 million.
"The figure is the sum of a fixed salary, image rights, a series of multi-million-euro bonuses unprecedented to date, daily allowances and a list of variables depending on various objectives," reported EL MUNDO.
"The document consists of 30 pages and it's split into an employment contract and an image rights contract. Lionel Andrés Messi signed on his behalf and those who signed on behalf of FC Barcelona included the President at the time, Josep Maria Bartomeu i Floreta, the former Vice President of Sports Area, Jordi Mestre Masdeu and the CEO of the organization at the moment, Óscar Grau Gomar."
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Messi's remuneration was linked in part to the number of matches he played and Barcelona's qualification for the Champions League, both of which were all but guaranteed at the time of the contract in question.
As a result, Messi was reportedly paid €210,297 per day after deductions between 2017 and 2021.
That's a massive weekly take-home of €1,472,079 – "insane" money, according to two-time NBA champion Kevin Durant.
Messi and Inter Miami will play the second leg of their all-MLS CONCACAF Champions League quarter-final against Los Angeles FC on Wednesday evening at 8pm local time.
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LAFC take a 1-0 lead into the away leg at Chase Stadium, where their hosts will be desperate to overturn the deficit and keep alive their hopes of winning a continental title Mascherano has made no secret of targeting.
Topics: Lionel Messi, Barcelona, FC Barcelona, Inter Miami
Chris Nee