Messi might get paid a boatload but he likes his club

Lionel Messi, an Argentinian and one of the best footballers in the world, scored his first goal professionally with FC Barcelona before his 18th birthday.  Before that, Messi had been with the team since he was 11, scoring an absurd amount of goals in every league in which he played.  Diagnosed with a growth plate deficiency when he was young, FC Barcelona jumped on acquiring the young prodigy, who now only stands at 1.69 m (5 ft 6 1/2 in).

But is Messi’s loyalty all about the money or the actual enjoyment of playing for FC?  Now at age 27, Messi has definitely made some money with the club over the years.  This year his base salary will be €16 million and will remain there unless his contract is mended before 2018.  He is currently the highest paid footballer in the world.

Messi definitely will not be living poorly in the years to come, but after 16 years with the team, there has to be an element of loyalty and love for Barcelona and its fans.  Messi’s unbelievable amount of accomplishments with the club, his family being from western Catalunya, and his paper napkin contract written by then sports director Carles Rexach are all reasons why Messi doesn’t hate the money but enjoys his club as well.