Barcelona have admitted that leaked images of forward Lionel Messi’s contract are correct, but they have denied responsibility for handing the details to the media.

Spanish outlet El Mundo revealed a copy of Messi’s contract on Sunday which showed that the Argentine signed the biggest deal in sports history back in 2017, guaranteeing him a total of £492m by the time the contract runs out at the end of the current season.

It’s led to many claiming that Messi is responsible for Barcelona’s whopping £1bn gross debt, including El Mundo, who opted for the headline: ‚The monumental contract of Leo Messi that ruins Barcelona‘, but club officials have now hit back at such a claim.

„In view of the information published today in the newspaper El Mundo, in relation to the professional contract signed between FC Barcelona and the player Lionel Messi, the club regrets its publication given that it is a private document governed by the principle of confidentiality between the parties,“ a statement on the club’s official website read.

„FC Barcelona categorically denies any responsibility for the publication of this document, and will take appropriate legal action against the newspaper El Mundo, for any damage that may be caused as a result of this publication.

„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.“

To join the ‚legal action‘ party, RAC1 claim that Messi himself is ready to sue El Mundo for revealing his contract, which has a specific confidentiality clause to prevent this exact situation.

It is said that only five people in the Barcelona board room actually have access to Messi’s contract, so Messi’s lawyer is currently studying how the paperwork got into the hands of the media.

Further to that, TV3 claim that Messi is considering legal action against former president Josep Maria Bartomeu, acting chief Carlos Tusquets and current executive Oscar Grau, who are three of the five people who have had access to the contract.

Barcelona’s lawyers have been pretty busy over the past few months, and it looks like the circus is only going to continue.

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