MESSI, MONSIEUR
Argentine’s arrival will rocket PSG into elite of world football
LIONEL MESSI was unveiled to the world before Paris SaintGermain’s Ligue 1 match against Strasbourg last night.
And the Paris money men are already rubbing their hands at the extra cash that the six-time Ballon d’Or winner is going to bring to a Qatari-owned club that is hardly short of the stuff.
The 34-year-old Argentina star joined PSG last week in a deal worth a staggering £54million a year before tax.
No uptick in shirt sales at the French club will cover the eyewatering cost of his move.
But in the long-term, one sports finance expert believes PSG could be about to leapfrog the uber-rich of the English top flight and join Real Madrid and Barcelona at the top of European money league.
The stars were out last night as Messi was presented to the Paris fans along with fellow new signings Sergio Ramos, – who is not yet fit – Gianluigi Donnarumma, Gini Wijnaldum and Achraf Hakimi at Parc des Princes.
Dan Plumley, a senior lecturer at Sheffield Hallam University, said: “A club like PSG can quite easily afford Messi and his wages given the nature of how they’re owned and the commercial revenues they were generating pre-Covid. Messi will only add to that.
“They have grown substantially since the takeover in 2011 no doubt and they dominate the French league.
“But it’s the European dominance they’ve been after and it has taken them time to get close to the other established clubs in the European elite.
“Now there’s a good chance that they can get themselves ahead of some of those English clubs and alongside the likes of Real Madrid and Barcelona as the biggest in world football. That’s what having Messi in your side can do.”
Barcelona on the other hand appear likely to take a sizeable hit.
According to Brand Finance, Messi’s departure could shave as much as £116m off the club’s value at a stroke.
It could also have an impact on future sponsorship and commercial agreements.
Matt Rogan, commercial sports expert and author of All to Play For: How Sport Will Reboot Society, believes the Spanish giants have made the right decision.
“A lot of football clubs put their brand value on their balance sheet and Barcelona’s balance sheet was already in real trouble because of the amount of debt in the organisation,” said Rogan.
“They were already going to need some financial re-engineering in the next two or three years.
“There are some smart people running that football club and they will have a plan.
“And it didn’t look as though Messi was part of that.”