$861m

it’s allegedly the most lucrative contract in sports history. lionel messi, the superstar striker with spanish soccer team fc Barcelona, will earn more than 555 million euros ($861 million) from his current deal, newspaper el mundo reported, citing a copy of the contract. the compensation includes salary, marketing rights and a series of other bonuses and incentives, the paper said. Barcelona said in a news release that it played no role in leaking the contract to el mundo and said it planned to take legal action against the newspaper. “fc Barcelona expresses its absolute support for lionel messi, especially in the face of any attempt to discredit his image, and to damage his relationship with the entity where he has worked to become the best player in the world and in football history,” the statement said. –