Lionel Messi Rejects €30million Per Year Contract With Russian Club!!!

Lionel Messi has turned down a mind-boggling offer of €30 million a year from an unidentified Russian club, according to Mundo Deportivo. The reported deal would have almost doubled his salary at Barcelona and made him the highest-paid player in the world by some margin.

Messi’s father and agent, Jorge Messi, apparently refused the offer, formally reiterating his son’s loyalty to Barcelona—the club that took him in at the early age of 12.

The same article stated that the club would have offered the €30 million in wages on top of the €250 million buyout clause Messi has on his contract. The buyout clause was accorded in the contract the Argentine signed this month extending his commitment to Barcelona to 2018. By that time, Messi will be 31 years old, meaning he has pretty much pledged lifelong loyalty to Barcelona.

Mundo Deportivo reported the mega-offer was allegedly brought forward last month, before the signing of Messi’s contract with Barcelona. However, Jorge Messi is believed not to have used the offer as leverage during the negotiation with Barcelona president Sandro Rosell.

The Russian club in question has not been identified, although it seems most likely to be Anzhi Makhachkala. Anzhi would then be trying to reunite Messi with Cameroonian forward and former Barcelona teammate Samuel Eto’o, who joined the club in August of 2011. The 31-year-old striker signed from Italian club Inter Milan for a reported €28 million.

The team, led by former Real Madrid and Chelsea manager Guus Hiddink, is well-known for being willing to spend astronomical sums of money to lure world-class players to their ranks.