Inter Miami’s FIFA Club World Cup journey came to a disappointing end with a 4-0 loss to Paris Saint-Germain, but Lionel Messi is set to receive a significant financial payout from his former club, Barcelona, thanks to a deferred salary agreement made five years ago.
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The reigning Champions League winners advanced to the next round of the tournament with goals from João Neves, Achraf Hakimi, and an own goal by Tomás Avilés, ending Messi’s hopes of adding another trophy to his collection. ..Continue Reading
Despite the defeat, the Argentine star is expected to receive a final payment of €5.95 million from Barcelona, part of a larger €47.6 million sum he agreed to defer during the club’s financial crisis in 2020.
Messi, who played 778 matches for Barcelona, left the club in 2021 when his contract expired and joined PSG.
Although he now plays for Inter Miami, Barcelona has continued to honor the deferred payments.
The final installment was scheduled for June 30, marking the end of the club’s financial obligation to their all-time leading scorer.
Back in Miami, Messi will refocus on Major League Soccer, where Inter Miami currently sits sixth in the Eastern Conference with 29 points and four games in hand.
He’s not the only former Barcelona player receiving a payout—Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba are also set to collect €1.18 million and €943,879, respectively.
In total, Barcelona has paid out €47.6 million to Messi and millions more to other former stars, including Antoine Griezmann, Ousmane Dembélé, Philippe Coutinho, and Samuel Umtiti, as part of a broader effort to settle deferred wages.
Despite the Club World Cup setback, Messi’s financial windfall offers a silver lining—and he continues to receive praise, with Zlatan Ibrahimović remarking that Messi “didn’t lose,” but was let down by those around him.
He said: “Leo Messi didn’t lose, Inter Miami did! Messi is playing with statues, not teammates. He’s surrounded by players who run as if they’re carrying bags of cement! If he were in a real team, in any big team, you’d see the real lion. Messi plays only because he loves the game, because he can still do what 99% of players cannot!”
“There are no coaches, no stars, not even players who understand how to move without the ball,” 43-year-old Ibrahimovic, Messi’s Barcelona teammate on 43 occasions, said. “This is not the Messi I know. If you put him in a real team, he’ll still set the stadium on fire!”
