MADRID (AP) If a rival soccer team were to pay
Lionel Messi’s 700 million euro ($834 million) buyout clause, Barcelona could
potentially buy nine of the 20 most expensive teams in the world.
Or it would have enough to buy every player in Major
League Soccer at the same time.
It could even pay for 5 million Barcelona jerseys.
The likelihood of anyone triggering the clause seems
remote, especially considering that it wouldn’t guarantee that the goal-scoring
great would go anyway. But after Paris Saint-Germain paid Barcelona a record
222 million euros ($264 million) for Neymar, the team is clearly trying to
scare off any potential candidates.
Barcelona president Josep Bartomeu said the club
decided to more than double Messi’s original clause of 300 million euros ($358
million) because of what happened with Neymar.
Buyout clauses are not used in every country, but
they are often put into effect to help protect clubs and give players the right
to leave for a fee if they are not satisfied or want better deals.
Here’s a look at some of the things 700 million
euros can buy in the world of soccer:
