Messi, out of Barcelona: a millionaire business in which the club and the city lose

08/06/2021 17:14

• Clarín.com

• sports

Updated 08/06/2021 17:14

When Lionel Messi's contract with Barcelona was leaked in January this year, the first reaction was one of surprise.

That astronomical figure of 555 million euros for four seasons,

sold as "pharaonic" and that "ruined" the Catalan club

, actually hid a round business in which everyone won.

Until LaLiga appeared and its rigidity when it came to controlling financial fair play, added to the inability of president Joan Laporta to make numbers in his squad and keep Rosario in his squad.

A 10 that they will miss at the Camp Nou

;

a man that the treasury and the entire city will long for.

Messi's departure from Barcelona resembles the departure of a multinational from a country with its economy in decline.

To start with, that "sidereal" contract of 555 million must be cut by 40 percent that corresponds to taxes:

275 million that entered the Spanish coffers, and they will no longer be there

.

Messi shirts for sale, a postcard that will no longer be seen in the corridors of the Camp Nou.

Photo: EFE / Enric Fontcuberta.

Tourism in the city will end up feeling the departure of Messi, there is no doubt about it.

The "Camp Nou Experience" is (was) the preferred tour of visitors to the region (and of the most chosen in Spain), behind the Basilica of the Sagrada Familia.

In 2019, prior to the coronavirus restrictions, 1.6 million people paid their entrance fee (between 20 and 26 euros) to walk the corridors of the mythical stadium that was filled with glory and became world famous with Rosario on the field .

How many of them would do it if instead of Messi they met Griezmann, Dembelé or the newcomer Memphis?

In red

In the middle, a pandemic that turned the economy of Spanish football, with losses estimated at 1,000 million euros.

This Friday, at a press conference, Laporta was much more pessimistic about his club's outlook: "The expected losses were in the order of 200 million euros, but in the end they will be 487 million. It's a lot ...", he lamented.

A study published last year by the Spanish newspaper ABC calculated that Barcelona receives 230 million euros per year for tickets, merchandising and sponsorship.

In this area, the culé team led the actions worldwide above Manchester United and Real Madrid, with 173 and 171 respectively.

In Spain they said that Messi represented 30 percent of that figure, although the impact generated by the confirmation of the idol's departure could make that consideration revert.

That unknown will begin to be revealed when Laporta sits down to speak with the club's main sponsors: Nike, Rakuten and Beko.

With the brand of the pipe, despite the fact that Messi is an Adidas figure, they have a contract until 2026 for 105 million euros per year, which can rise to 155 million according to variables.

The Barcelona museum, a must for football lovers.

Photo: EFE / Enric Fontcuberta.

Rakuten and Beko, meanwhile, face their last year with the institution and it remains to be seen if they decide to renew the bond without Messi as of July 2022. The Japanese online store invests 55 million euros per year in the club, which in 2021 They were reduced to 30 million and variables as a result of the pandemic.

The same happened with the Turkish brand, which has already dropped from 19 million to 10 million.

The other thermometer will be in the stands, or the stands as they say. The golden age of Barcelona, ​​with Messi in the team, showed that every time the 10 was absent (it happened very few times) the amount of public present dropped eloquently. This weekend the 21/22 season will begin with the traditional Joan Gamper Cup, a friendly tournament in which Messi will not be present ... at least physically. It will be played without an audience, and it is estimated that in the coming weeks the return of 20 or 30 percent of the capacity will be confirmed.

They lose the city, the club and also the Spanish league, despite the fact that its president Javier Tebas has been designated as the maximum responsible for Messi's departure to other horizons.

It will not be the same to sell TV broadcasts in destinations like Asia without the image of 10 Barcelona.

"LaLiga cannot allow Messi to leave. They would make a mistake and we would all regret it. The best footballer in the world has to retire in Spain, undoubtedly complying with the rules of economic control. But sometimes you have to raise your hand a little. . I hope that LaLiga is thinking so. If he leaves, we will all be harmed, "the president of Getafe, Ángel Torres, had warned days ago.

Nobody heard it.

Look also

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Messi leaves Barcelona: the live and direct discussion between Laporta and Tebas over the LaLiga agreement with CVC