BARCA WANT A SLICE OF MESSI'S IMAGE RIGHTS - A €23 million cake

Posted Saturday, March 15, 2014 by Marca.com

BARCA WANT A SLICE OF MESSI'S IMAGE RIGHTS - A €23 million cake Barcelona is facing two major problems in renewing Messi's contract: the first is the player's salary, and the second is his image rights. The difference in expectations for the two parties regarding his fixed salary is €9 million gross per year, and the performance related bonuses will also require some ironing out.

The second aspect is somewhat more unexpected, because Barcelona has so far renounced 100% of image rights for its players. However, this time things are a bit different. Rosell promised that Messi would be the best paid player on the planet. To achieve that, the club, now with Bartomeu in charge, wants a slice of his image rights. Real Madrid pays Cristiano Ronaldo a net salary of €18 million a year, but receives a hefty chunk of his image rights.

Barcelona is adopting the same approach and has asked for a large percentage of that particular income stream. The Argentine's earnings from various sponsorships are currently over €23 million with the eight major brands that use his image.

Messi's main sponsor is Adidas, which pays him €8 million a year. The player has always been very loyal to this brand and has always renewed