Messi contract leaked: Top 10 BIGGEST sports contract revealed ft. Patrick Mahomes, Neymar

Earlier on Sunday, reports suggested that Lionel Messi is set to earn a whopping £492million (€555m) at FC Barcelona by the end of his current contract that was offered to him in 2017. Messi's bumper deal — which was leaked by a Spanish newspaper — is now reportedly the biggest contract offer in sports history. Here's a look at the list of the top 10 biggest contract deals in sports history. 

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Lionel Messi contract leaked: Barcelona contract makes Argentine superstar world's highest-paid athlete

On Sunday, Spanish news outlet El Mundo published documents relating to Messi's four-year deal, signed in 2017, and gave an intricate breakdown of the £492million (€555m) he would receive by the end of his current agreement with the Catalan outfit if all add-ons were met. The report also claimed that Messi's contract would be the biggest ever that was signed by an athlete. However, Messi and Barcelona are furious over the leak and plan to take legal action against the publication.

The six-time Ballon d'Or winner tried to quit Barcelona in the summer but ended up making a dramatic U-turn to see out the final year of his deal. Reports still claim that Messi will leave Barcelona once his current contract expires with PSG and Man City keen on signing the Argentine superstar. Messi is also yet to sign a new agreement with Barcelona.

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With his latest four-year deal, Messi reportedly earned a staggering £63.5m (€72m) annually in addition to add-ons for playing more than 60% of games throughout the course of each season. The bonuses also included Champions League progression, winning LaLiga or the Copa del Rey and winning FIFA's The Best. Messi's contract also included mouthwatering signing and loyalty bonuses.

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Top 10 highest-paid athletes: Biggest contracts in sports

1. Lionel Messi (£492million) - According to The Sun, Messi's last contract offer by Barcelona was the biggest for a sports star.
2. Patrick Mahomes ( £402million) - The NFL superstar signed a 10-year deal with the Chiefs in September 2020, which equates to a whopping £40.2m-per-year. 
3. Mike Trout (£341million) - Los Angeles Angels tight end Mike Trout signed a 12-year deal with the NFL franchise in 2019 and is set to earn around £28.3m-per-year 
4. Canelo Alvarez (£292million) - The boxing superstar penned an 11-fight deal with DAZN in 2018, which averaged to £26.5m per fight. However, he got out of contract in October 2020. 
5. Neymar (£278million) - The PSG winger signed a five-year deal worth £278m in 2017 when he left Barcelona for a world-record transfer, meaning he pockets £55.6m-per-year.
6. Bryce Harper (£264million) - In March 2019, the right-fielder penned a 13-year deal with Philadelphia worth £264m.
7. Giancarlo Stanton (£260million) -  The Miami Marlins offered Stanton a 13-year deal worth £260m in 2014, however, the 31-year-old did not see out his contract and was traded to the Yankees in 2017.
8. Gerrit Cole (£258million) - Cole accepted a nine-year deal worth a whopping £28.6m-per-year when he was snapped up by the Yankees in 2019. 
9. Manny Machado (£238million) - The five-time MLB all-star signed a 10-year deal with the San Diego Padres in 2019 and is now takes home around £23.8m-per-year. 
10. Nolan Arenado (£207million) - Arenado signed an eight-year contract extension with the Colorado Rockies in January 2019 and now takes home a staggering £25.8m-per-year.

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Image Credits - Barcelona, Neymar Instagram / AP