Simple test, did Real experience a huge drop in supporters when Ronaldo left?
Lionel Messi’s Obscene Contract
- Thread starter Port Vale Devil
- Start date
I don't think it is weirder than traditional football support. If you really look at it critically, supporting a club is also a bit bizarre, especially if you take your support very seriously. I have my own club but that one aside - and I know that it will most likely never be anywhere near winning a significant title again - I'm more interested in watcing good football and great players. So yeah, what's the point of following a club any longer once the players that make you watch it have left? I watch my own club out of interest, even if it is playing badly, but when I watch football outside of it, I'm obviously doing it for entertainment purposes. So when a club doesn't entertain my any longer because the players I enjoy watching have left - well, bye then. And I believe Barca fears exactly this reaction.
I mean, in the end, the question is not if their revenue will drop but by how much. Because for all we know it's written in the contracts that it will drop. If Madrid's didn't, chances are they had no CR7 clauses with their sponsors.
I take your point - I guess 'fandom' by its very nature is a bit irrational. I guess it's just not the way I grew up supporting football.
It was just a suggestion only clearly he is not going to be doing that, will be interesting to see how this all unfolds.
That's the thing I can't wrap my head around what happens when the player retires just move onto another player? Weird.
Yeah there has always been fan boys but it's definitely on the rise, even for some unfashionable players. You see the same names camped out in performance threads waiting to jump on any sign of criticism.
I actually have a friend like this I think, he used to support Arsenal for years as a kid. Then switched to Barcelona but swears to this day he never supported Arsenal just 'liked' them but he basically just followed Henry. Think he's on to Messi now as he also supports Argentina despite being Irish as he ''prefers the colour of their shirt''. Not sure if he's a player supporter or just a Glory hunter though.
messi’s contract demands have been leaked-
1) all other barca players to only earn a maximum of 175k p/week.
2) messi to be allowed to demolish three catalan orphanages of his choosing. eric abidal is to be strapped to the wrecking ball, dressed as miley cyrus and dashed against the brick work. his obliterated corpse to be patched together between orphanages.
3) all contracted players must agree to name/re-name their first born child lioneginald.
4) he must be the sole captain of barcelona. if he is unavailable through injury, barcelona will forfeit the match as no one will be able to toss the coin before kick off.
5) a messi fan lottery to be introduced. during every home game, a random seat number will be selected. the lucky winner will be forced to sign their pension(s) over to messi.
6) all terms of the contract will pass down to an heir of messi’s choosing.
1) all other barca players to only earn a maximum of 175k p/week.
2) messi to be allowed to demolish three catalan orphanages of his choosing. eric abidal is to be strapped to the wrecking ball, dressed as miley cyrus and dashed against the brick work. his obliterated corpse to be patched together between orphanages.
3) all contracted players must agree to name/re-name their first born child lioneginald.
4) he must be the sole captain of barcelona. if he is unavailable through injury, barcelona will forfeit the match as no one will be able to toss the coin before kick off.
5) a messi fan lottery to be introduced. during every home game, a random seat number will be selected. the lucky winner will be forced to sign their pension(s) over to messi.
6) all terms of the contract will pass down to an heir of messi’s choosing.
Would Barca's revenue really drop so low in comparison to what they'd save by not having him on the books anyway? There's probably not that much in it, if anything.
Common sense needs to prevail here. He's 34. They've had his best years, and then some. Why would the board put the club on the brink of collapse just to give a player that will probably retire in the next 2 years a new deal? Retire his shirt, let him walk out and rebuild without the weight of Messi around your neck.
Common sense needs to prevail here. He's 34. They've had his best years, and then some. Why would the board put the club on the brink of collapse just to give a player that will probably retire in the next 2 years a new deal? Retire his shirt, let him walk out and rebuild without the weight of Messi around your neck.
But what you are describing is how many football fans have viewed football over the decades especially the last few when more football than ever has been on TV. Lots of people have the one club they support as you do but then also watch other teams/players they like for entertainment purposes. This is probably more prevalent among supporters of smaller, less successful clubs.
Where it's seems weird for me and seemingly others though is someone 'supporting' 1 particular player but not any specific club.
And yes I actually agree getting emotionally invested in a football club is a bit bizarre when you think about it objectively. But humans are tribalistic creatures by nature.
Could Barca do some tricks like e.g. sell Messi and lease him back? Would he still be part of the official wage bill?
Or maybe try to shift larger portions of the fixed remuneration to variable ones, spreading the achievables over more than one season.
Anyway, this is a crazy situation.
Or maybe try to shift larger portions of the fixed remuneration to variable ones, spreading the achievables over more than one season.
Anyway, this is a crazy situation.
Damn I blame the poor quality of image pixel! But of course we all know from 2020 onwards the graph is going down for all, which proves I wasn't wrongThe graph ends in 2019. Shows how sensitive you are
Hahaha - that's top class. I definitely have players I like more than others and, assuming they leave on good terms, I'll want them to do well at future clubs but it certainly wouldn't make me follow the fortunes of another team. Kids these days...!
Maybe people have become more individualistic, who knows. Maybe it's also that less and less clubs are really playing for titles anymore, so more people get involved with following players they like or who once played for them. Lots of Ronaldo fans e. g. are actually Sporting fans.
It might also have to do with Social Media. You can easily follow players now and watch every piece of footage available. Especially of players outside your domestic league.
Also one shouldn't underestimate the effects of arguing and defending that has become quite common in the internet age. The more effort we spent on somebody, the more important he becomes to us. And there are lots of arguments these days in comment sections, forums, etc
Absolutely sick if true
Needed a chuckle today - that did the trick nicely.
Wouldn't work. If it goes to court their wages will still count against their wagebill
They are over the salary limit without registering the new players. They'll need to offload a lot of players in order to be under the limit and match Messi's current salary. I can't see Messi resigning without completely destroying that team.
So basically; Barca ask to their players to fund Messi. Imagine that. "Give your money to someone who already has 10x more than you".
Sick logic
Sick logic
Yep good points mate Social Media like almost everything else that is changing in our lives is no doubt heavily involved in this shift.
it was slightly embellished to get hits. it’s only a maximum of 75k p/week for the other players.
It's just so ironic how Mr. Barca has run the club into the ground
Aren't they also giving Camp Nou to him so he can farm potatoes there after he retires?
Yes, they often forget that most of the people who buy Messi shirt would probably buy a shirt with different name if Messi weren't there. They wouldn't lose 8 out of 10, maybe 1 or 2. I think we should compare their shirt sales to the sales before Messi arrived and see how similar clubs sales changed over the years, that would give a more meaningful figure.
Plenty of people are like that in the US with LeBron.
they are but he is to rename it “camp old” and turn it in to a retirement naturist resort for gay men.
Messi isn't the problem, even if he earns 70M per year that's manageable, what's destroying the club is the rest of the wages.It's just so ironic how Mr. Barca has run the club into the ground
Not-so-bad yet outrageous wages
Griezmann 46M
De Jong 21M
Busquets 15M
Pique 13M
Jordi Alba 9M
Awful, awful wages
Pjanic 8.5M
Dembele 12M
Umtiti 12M
Sergi Roberto 10M
Coutinho 8.5M
Dest 5M
Pjanic, Dembele, Umtiti, Coutinho and Sergi Roberto account for more than 66% of Messi's last contract, yet they've been less than passengers in our last season. Our previous board have dried the club's funds to a point that either we can't afford to keep our best player ever, or we need to sell our best performing player other than Messi (Griezmann) because no one else will want any of our squad depth players on the wages they're at.
If you cut Coutinho, Sergi, Umtiti, Dembele, Pjanic and Pique you get enough money to keep Messi and the team doesn't even feel the hit performance wise, but obviously that's impossible with the great job Bartomeu did on those contracts.
That's truly a one man team
2022/2023 Barcelona lineup:
Messi
We lost around 1M fans on social media within 24h but afaik not much after that. And when you have over 200M fans on social media, 1M is a drop in the ocean...
Btw, juventus revenue grew by about €55M in one year(17/18 to 18/19) after signing cristiano, though COVID made it impossible to tell how that would have worked out over multiple years. Likewise real madrid's revenue stalled in 18/19 but the projections for 19/20 were of a €60+M increase largely due to merchandising and sponsorships before COVID hit
All of which is to say, Messi likely does have a positive impact on barcelona's revenue, but the idea that he generates them more money than they spend on him is the kind of fairy tale you tell particularly impressionable children
Messi, re-signed — you’re all on board…
You're having a joke if you think Messi isn't a problem. Those players will obviously ask for more when Mr. Barca is on half a million per week.
I could only speak for myself, but its true I've never watched a single Real game again (in La Liga) after Ronaldo had left, so they did loss supporters like me, who is fan of Ronaldo. I am sure there are plenty like me among Ronaldo's 300 millions supporters.
I wonder what his teammates think of him. They have to take a pay cut just so he can get a pay rise.
To be fair, I believe Messi has done 10x more than any other current Barca players.
But we're so massive that losing people "like you" is literally a drop in the ocean: we gain more fans and following every year anyways
I find it hard to believe it would be different for barcelona
Indeed.
Might add that the reason why Barca pay Messi such obscene wages is - obviously - not that he generates a shitload of profit. Barcelona aren't primarily run for profit. Most clubs aren't - and even those that are (like United) don't generate much of it compared to any number of other businesses. It simply isn't all that profitable to own/run a football club.
Ok I don't have the real numbers here, maybe it doesn't affect much, but it seems Perez has been complaining alot about their TV income and keep on pushing super league thing. I just felt they are declining.
But for my case I loss all my interest in watching Real Madrid games after Ronaldo had left. Maybe I am only a drop in ocean, but there are 300 millions Ronaldo fans out there, I believe it does affect to certain extent, as probably not all of them support Real Madrid.
That's the point of a salary cap, increase competitiveness.