Can the beautiful game get uglier than this?

[KCNotts]

Only a minor point but surely you're overlooking the talent that was Sean Canham and the legendary Steve Scoffham?

Back to the OP, that amount of money is grotesque Sid. It's why I gave up watching the Premier League years ago. Nobody deserves that salary, definitely not a tax evading football player. Football sold its soul a long time ago.

[tripie]

According to Record Sport, Messi has agreed financial terms on a five-year contract worth a total of €700m (£623m).

The incredible deal would make the Argentine the highest-paid individual in the history of the sport.

It equates to £14,200 an hour, £341,000 per day, £2.4m every week and a whopping £10.4m per month.

Messi is set to spend three seasons at the Etihad before joining City Football Group's (CFG) Major League Soccer side New York City FC for two years.

How obscene is this payout for a 33 year old footballer when across the same city an international player is fronting an initiative to ensure that youngsters have enough food on their plate?

Think that's a misunderstanding Sid. 700m is the trigger amount in his current contract. l.e. a figure that they knew would never be met but needs to be there for legal reasons. Especially when he is a free agent next year. Is it coincidence it's the same figure or has somebody got the wrong end of the stick?

[SwalePie]

Back to the OP, that amount of money is grotesque Sid. It's why I gave up watching the Premier League years ago. Nobody deserves that salary, definitely not a tax evading football player. Football sold its soul a long time ago.

Amen to that!

[legs77]

Sports washing at its finest.

If they had any brains they would go for Mbappe far better value but its all about being Billy Big Bollox.

I'm sure all the others will be totally fine if he earns those wages.

[jackal2]

Sports washing at its finest.

If they had any brains they would go for Mbappe far better value but its all about being Billy Big Bollox.

I'm sure all the others will be totally fine if he earns those wages.

Ironically I think there's a lot of sentiment involved in this, with Messi and Guardiola wanting to link up again, but I agree if you're going to spend huge money like that and be the biggest and most successful team for the next decade, invest in the young wonderkid, not the ageing maestro.

[MAD_MAGPIE]

According to Record Sport, Messi has agreed financial terms on a five-year contract worth a total of €700m (£623m).

The incredible deal would make the Argentine the highest-paid individual in the history of the sport.

It equates to £14,200 an hour, £341,000 per day, £2.4m every week and a whopping £10.4m per month.

Messi is set to spend three seasons at the Etihad before joining City Football Group's (CFG) Major League Soccer side New York City FC for two years.

How obscene is this payout for a 33 year old footballer when across the same city an international player is fronting an initiative to ensure that youngsters have enough food on their plate?

On those wages a 45% tax rate contribution to the HMRC coffers would be £4.68m a month or £56.2m a year and would be more or less a pound for every person in England with a population of 55.9 million at the last count. All from one person.

I’m not advocating the grotesque salary, merely highlighting that almost half of a top footballers wages in this country is a tax contribution. That should help this country look after the less fortunate and poor. It just shows football at the highest level is it’s own economy completely separated to the real world.

[Bushwacka]

Is it coincidence it's the same figure or has somebody got the wrong end of the stick?

No, they've quoted that as salary but have either made it up, or are just guessing.

[legs77]

On those wages a 45% tax rate contribution to the HMRC coffers would be £4.68m a month or £56.2m a year and would be more or less a pound for every person in England with a population of 55.9 million at the last count. All from one person.

I’m not advocating the grotesque salary, merely highlighting that almost half of a top footballers wages in this country is a tax contribution. That should help this country look after the less fortunate and poor. It just shows football at the highest level is it’s own economy completely separated to the real world.

In an ideal world yes but the rich clearly don’t pay their full taxes.

It was only a few months back they were done for FFP can’t see them saying he earns £1m a week it will be hidden and as he is a tax dodger he will know exactly how to hide it with some creative accounting.

[Jeekay56]

Why does this thread carry the O/T:- prefix? I could understand if it was posted on a politics message board.

[Elite_Pie]

Only a minor point but surely you're overlooking the talent that was Sean Canham and the legendary Steve Scoffham?

That post has traumatised me a bit. It made me wonder that if we had to decide which was the better signing, who would it be?