Professional sports teams invest significant amounts of money in order to acquire and retain top talent. The biggest sports contract of all time, worth an estimated 674 million U.S. dollars, belonged to soccer star Lionel Messi. However, these large contracts are not limited to just soccer, but are also seen in other sports such as basketball, baseball, and American football. Many professional athletes are considered superstars, and their talent and marketability can bring significant financial value to a team.
Lionel Messi
Lionel Messi’s contract renewal at FC Barcelona in 2017 was considered a landmark contract as it was the biggest sports contract of all time. The contract was worth approximately 674 million U.S. dollars over four years, and it reflected the immense value that the diminutive Argentine forward represented to the Catalan club. Given the honors and titles that Messi won while at Barcelona, it was no wonder that the club was willing to spend hundreds of millions of U.S. dollars to retain his services.
Trout’s 12 year contract
Mike Trout is a baseball player for the Los Angeles Angels of Major League Baseball (MLB), and is considered one of the best players in the league. In 2019, he signed a 12-year contract extension with the Angels worth a total of 426.5 million U.S. dollars. The contract is one of the largest in the history of professional sports, and it was the biggest contract in baseball history at the time it was signed. The deal was also the longest contract in MLB history, and it guaranteed that Trout would remain with the Angels until the end of the 2030 season.
