PSG's the Cure for Messi's Barça Heartbreak

Even after damn near two decades, love can be such a fleeting thing.

There Lionel Messi was, eyes filled with tears, as not even agreeing to a salary slashed down to a measly €35m was enough to appease the accounting gods at La Liga, and a forlorn FC Barcelona decided it could slash no more, not even if a quick cash infusion to save the deal was on the table for the taking.

And it was.

 

Barça musta thought it was its own government or something, and its version of voodoo economics has left it teetering on the edge of bankruptcy with its fans falling into a depression.

What's more, their total mismanagement of the situation meant that they not only lost Messi, they also saw football's most valuable free agent exit without receiving a transfer fee as compensation.

 

In the process, they've made one French outfit très hereux.

Paris-St Germain was aready on the upgrade warpath this summer after losing the Ligue 1 title to Lille last season. Dudes had been busy splashing le dosh all over Europe for famous names they hope still have a couple of prime campaigns in them:

• Gianluigi Donnarumma who had been in goal for AC Milan,
• Achraf Hakimi, the Moroccan international who was at Inter,
• Georginio Wijnaldum, who left Liverpool on a free transfer, and
• Sergio Ramos, who's got to be wondering if the French have a word for Galacticos.

 

Then they must have one for kajillionaire.

Maybe even ultra-kajillionaire. as that might be a better fit for Qatari Sports Investments poobah and beIN Media Group owner Nasser al-Khelaifi. Dude didn't get there on an oil inheritance, though. He was a pro tennis player who made the most of the connections he met along the way.

That's a pertinent point, because while PSG is an obsession, he's not just throwing petro-dollars at a cherished toy. He's found a way to squeeze some mega-talent into the Les Parisiens budget -- remember, PSG's got Neymar and Kylian Mbappé fitting under their salary cap, too -- and still come out ahead financially.

 

Messi's back to full earning capacity with this contract:

• He'll net around €35m per season on a two-year deal,
• He'll receive a €25m signing bonus,
• He'll continue to have sponsorships up the kazoo to the tune of €28m and counting, and
• He's even taking some of his earnings in crypto.

This means Messi's making history again, and many of his fans are making profits as a result.

He's got the first football contract that include digital tokens -- ie- cryptocurrency -- as part of his compensation. Impressively, it's something other than Bitcoin that actually utilizes the primary function of the blockchain: efficiently memorializing contracts and other data.

The $PSG tokens are targeted at the club's fans, of course, and the inclusion of La Pulga's 265million fans on social media will only drive their value higher.

 

So everyone's making out like bandits in this transaction:

• Messi because he's back to full earning power,
• The fans on general principles and the potential to cash in on token holdings, and
• The club itself due to everything Messi-related, such as increased revenues from broacasts and merch.

Well, almost everyone. Barça's still bathing in red ink -- about €1billlion of it -- and hoping the Super League rises from the ashes. They've also gotta find somewhere around 30 goals a season that they don't have anymore.

Because Messi's moved on to the greener pastures of Les Rouges et Bleus.

 

And he's already loving it.