Barcelona settle their salary debts to Messi, Koeman and others with final €16 million payout | OneFootball

The FC Barcelona board has officially completed the final payment of deferred wages owed to players and staff from the 2020 squad – closing a financial chapter rooted in one of the club’s darkest periods.

As reported by Culemania (h/t SPORT), the Blaugrana have disbursed the remaining €16 million of the original €121.7 million deferred during the peak of their financial crisis.

What happened?

The economic collapse that began under ex-president Josep Maria Bartomeu, worsened by the Covid-19 pandemic, forced the club into emergency measures. In late 2020, an agreement was made to defer a portion of player and staff wages to avoid financial implosion.

Four players – Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Frenkie de Jong, Gerard Pique and Clement Lenglet—were excluded due to contract renewals signed just before Bartomeu’s exit.

The rest of the squad agreed to defer 42.9% of fixed salaries and 100% of variable bonuses, split across eight scheduled payments from December 2021 to June 2025. That final instalment has now been paid, closing a critical financial obligation.

Lionel Messi tops the list

As expected, Lionel Messi was the player owed the most: €47.6 million, of which €5.96 million was included in this final payment.

Next came Samuel Umtiti (€9.9 million deferred), followed by Sergio Busquets (€8.2 million), Griezmann (€8 million), Jordi Alba (€7.6 million), and Philippe Coutinho (€6.6 million).

Koeman was owed around €6 million in deferred salary. (Photo by Aitor Alcalde/Getty Images)

Ronald Koeman, who reconciled publicly with Joan Laporta on Friday, was owed nearly €6 million as part of the staff’s deferred salaries.

Other names include: Ousmane Dembele and Miralem Pjanic (€5.1 million each), Sergi Roberto (€4.8 million), Neto (€2.5 million), Sergino Dest (€1.3 million), Martin Braithwaite (€1.2 million) and Junior Firpo (€1.1 million).

Meanwhile, less than €1 million was owed to younger players like Ansu Fati, Pedri, Ronald Araujo, Riqui Puig, Francisco Trincao, and Carles Alena.

Nine of the highest earners from the B team also accepted deferred salary plans. These included Inaki Pena, Oriol Busquets, Alex Collado, Jandro Orellana, Rey Manaj, Arnau Tenas, Konrad de la Fuente, Hiroki Abe, and Matheus Pereira.

With this final €16 million payout, Barça has officially closed the book on one of its most pressing legacy debts – marking a financial turning point just ahead of the 2025/26 season.