Lionel messi net worth: how much does the barcelona star earn?

Lionel Messi is widely considered to be one of the best footballers of all time.  With five Ballon d’Ors and four Golden Boots to his name, the Barcelona star has cemented himself as one of

the most-respected and highest paid athletes in the world.  WHAT IS LIONEL MESSI’S NET WORTH? Messi is worth an estimated £60 million ($80 million), according to Forbes’ 2017 list of the

world’s highest paid athletes. His net worth is broken down as about £20 million from sponsorship deals and endorsements, with an eye-watering £40 million ($53 million) coming from his

Barcelona wage.  The striker is currently the second best paid footballer on the planet after Real Madrid rival Cristiano Ronaldo, though he recently signed a new contract with Barcelona

that could push him into top spot next year.  Messi’s new deal will see him pocket a staggering £500,000 (€565,000) every week, Forbes report, as well as a £44.5 million signing on bonus. 

The contract also includes a staggeringly high buyout clause of £623 million ($835 million), meaning any club looking to prise Messi away from Camp Nou will have to blow the current transfer

record out of the water.   After signing the contract, which runs until the end of the 2020/21 season, Messi described Barcelona as his “home”.  He said: "We've been lucky enough

to have won a great many things and I hope there will be more in the future. "I'm happy to continue with the club, which is my home. My dream was to finish my career at Barca and

we are moving down that path." As well as his huge salary, Messi has a number of lucrative sponsorship deals.  He recently renewed a lifetime contract with sportswear company Adidas,

who pay about half of his endorsement income. Until last year Messi was the poster boy for EA’s FIFA video game series, featuring on the cover four times.  Outside of football, Messi has

used a portion of his money to champion a number of charitable causes.  He has donated time and cash to UNICEF and has served as a goodwill ambassador for the charity.  Messi has also

founded the Leo Messi Foundation, which aims to provide children with access to health care, education and sports training.  LIONEL MESSI'S CAREER STATS Over his incredible career Messi

has won pretty much everything there is to win, as well as gaining countless personal accolades.  He has scored more than 600 goals for club and country and currently holds the record for

the most goals scored in La Liga, most goals scores in a La Liga season and most goals scored in a calendar year - to name a few.  With Barcelona Messi has claimed eight La Liga titles, four

Champions League titles and five Copas del Rey trophies.  He is also Argentina’s all time leading goalscorer and will be desperate to win his first World Cup trophy in Russia next year. 

BALLON D’OR WINS: 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015 (record) GOLDEN BOOT WINS: 2010, 2012, 2013, 2017 (record - shared with Ronaldo) FIFA PLAYER OF THE YEAR: 2009 LA LIGA BEST PLAYER: 2009, 2010,

2011, 2012, 2013, 2014