LaLiga: Barcelona presidential candidates Joan Laporta, Victor Font say Lionel Messi ‘generates more’ than he earns

File picture of Lionel Messi. AP

Barcelona: Two of the candidates in Barcelona’s presidential election, Joan Laporta and Victor Font, insisted on Monday that Lionel Messi “generates extra” than he earns, after his “colossal” membership contract was revealed in a Spanish newspaper.

“Leo generates rather more revenue than the cash he prices,” Joan Laporta, who’s looking for to regain the presidency, instructed Rac1 radio.

“We’ve got executed a research and he generates a 3rd of Barca’s whole revenue.”

“It is not solely the financial return,” Laporta stated. “But in addition the emotional and sporting return, and the vivid moments he provides us.”

Messi is within the final 12 months of his contract.

On Sunday, below the headline “the colossal contract that ruins Barcelona”, El Mundo revealed particulars of the present deal, signed in 2017. It stated Messi might have earned 555 million euros ($674 million) by the point the deal expires.

Barcelona responded by saying it was not the supply of the leak and it deliberate to sue El Mundo. The membership didn’t, nonetheless, contradict the small print.

Laporta is certainly one of three candidates for the election on 7 March. Certainly one of his rivals, Font, spoke on Onda Cero radio.

“To indicate that Barca is ruined due to Messi is a fully misguided conclusion,” he stated.

Each candidates condemned the “leak” to the Madrid newspaper and each promised they’d do all the pieces to maintain Messi at Barca.

“We’ve got to do all the pieces attainable to maintain Messi, in 2017 and at the moment too,” stated Font.

Laporta, the president when Messi first broke into the Barcelona workforce, agreed.

“I’ll do all the pieces attainable to maintain Messi at Barca. I’ve had indicators that he’s glad in Barcelona, that he desires to remain.”