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A new study on player wages has claimed that Barcelona may not be getting their money's worth out of Lionel Messi's astronomical weekly salary.
The Argentine has won the Ballon d'Or an unprecedented five times since making his debut at Camp Nou, helping Barca to a decade of glittering success.
That wonderful talent has been duly compensated with a salary package that makes Messi one of the richest men in sport, alongside Real Madrid rival Cristiano Ronaldo.
According to the International Journal of Computer Science in Sport, however, he may not merit such a high valuation.
The IJCSS compiled salary data and performance analysis from Europe's top leagues in their study, choosing 2016 as a base year.
Variables such as age, position, club and a whole host of attribute evaluations in key areas were collected and run through an algorithm designed to determine each player's 'real' worth.
And despite his status as one of the finest players in the world, Messi comes out at the top of the list of overpaid stars, with the IJCSS contending his true value is some €320,000 lower than his actual weekly wage.
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"Clearly, the salary of a football player is affected by numerous factors that are not directly related to performance or skills. For instance, a player liked by the fans can have higher compensation to reflect merchandise and ticket sales," the report concludes.
"For instance, a player such as Lionel Messi receives a weekly wage of €550,000 given that part of it is sponsorship, merchandise sales, image rights, and other incomes outside the scope of wins or performance on the field.
"Using pattern recognition, Messi’s predicted salary computed based on the performance and wages of the current football players in the major football leagues would have been about 50% less, although according to the method he would still be the world’s highest paid player."
Fellow Argentine Angel Di Maria and Galatasaray's ex-Arsenal star Robin van Persie complete the podium.
Player Actual wage (In €, 2016) Predicted Wage
Lionel Messi 550,000 243,333
Angel Di Maria 230,000 58,974
Robin Van Persie 210,000 61,428
Ivan Rakitic 180,000 61,556
Nicolas Otamendi 180,000 61,556
Edin Dzeko 165,000 53,873
Philippe Coutinho 170,000 60,552
Isco 170,000 60,552
David Luiz 170,000 61,599
Sergio Busquets 220,000 115,342
Conversely, Harry Kane and Bernardo Silva appear as the most underpaid players on the IJCSS list.
Kane has of course since signed a lucrative new contract with Tottenham, while Bernardo will line up at Manchester City next season after completing a move from Monaco.
Player Actual wage (In €, 2016) Predicted Wage
Bernardo Silva 10,000 119,907
Harry Kane 15,000 119,798
Granit Xhaka 70,000 171,176
Timo Horn 25,000 119,581
Francisco Alcacer 80,000 170,588
Gelson Dany Batalha Martins 30,000 119,472
Renato Sanches 35,000 119,364
Paul Nardi 25,000 104,548
Andrea Pirlo 50,000 129,500
Lavyin Kurzawa 50,000 119,038
You can read the full IJCSS report on players wages, including the methodology and data used in compiling the results, here.
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