Nine surprising request Lionel Messi made to renew his contract with Barcelona in 2020 has been revealed

Nine surprising request Lionel Messi made to renew his contract with Barcelona in 2020 has been revealed.

A few years ago, it would have been absurd to think that Lionel Messi would ever leave Barcelona, much less do so for nothing. Unfortunately, that actually happened in 2021 when the club’s dire financial situation prevented his extension.

However, the truth is that Messi came very close to leaving Barcelona in 2020 as well. In an interview given in October of that year, the Argentine made a similar admission, stating that Josep Bartomeu and his government were keeping him “kept like a prisoner.”

However, according to El Mundo, Messi had supposedly already laid out his intentions for a contract extension in 2020 prior to that interview. He made enormous expectations of staying and renewing his contract.

1. A three-year contract extension was a reasonable request from Messi at the time because he was still only 33. He had shown no symptoms of slowing down and was still the finest player in the world.

2. Personal box for one’s family and Suarez’s: This is where things start to get intriguing and intimate. For game days, Messi sought a special box at the Camp You for both his family and Luis Suarez’s.

3. €10 million renewal bonus: Before Kylian Mbappe extended his deal with PSG earlier this year, a €10 million (or more) renewal incentive had never been seen. It appears, though, that Messi had made similar demand prior to the Frenchman, back in 2020.

It is significant to note that Barcelona had rejected this demand since they lacked the resources to carry it out.

4. Elimination of release clauses: All Spanish teams employ the release clause system, which enables other clubs to start direct negotiations with a player by invoking a clause in the player’s contract.

Messi reportedly had a €700 million release clause in 2020. Even though there would still be a symbolic clause in place for €10,000, he wanted it eliminated. Barcelona also refused to approve of this.

5. Reimbursement of pay reductions: Messi and other team members took a pay reduction in 2020 to support the club during COVID-19. However, the captain demanded that Barcelona repay him with 3% interest.

6. Private plane: This one is straightforward and doesn’t require any explanation. Leo requested a private plane from the club for the holidays.

7. Income increase with tax: Messi demanded that the club cover the difference if the Spanish government increased taxes so that he would receive the same net salary.

8. Persistence of personal assistant: Messi worked on the club’s payroll and had Pepe Costa as his personal assistant for the majority of his final years there. Leo insisted he go on despite the epidemic cuts casting doubt on his continuity.

9. Commission to his brother: As a final renewal incentive, he requested Barcelona to give his brother, Rodrigo Messi, a commission. The club agreed to this as well because Rodrigo was Ansu Fati’s representative at the time and might have been crucial in the teen’s renewal.

Messi made nine demands, but Bartomeu only complied with two of them: decreasing his release clause to €10,000 and forgoing the €10 million signing bonus.

The now 35-year-old pushed for an exit when negotiations between the two sides went down as a result. to no avail, however.