South African Club Reportedly Paid N1.3 Billion To Invite Messi & His Teammates

South African club, Mamelodi Sundowns, have reportedly parted with a whopping sum of N1.3 billion to bring Lionel Messi and the entire Barcelona Football team to the country to participate in the Nelson Madela Centenary Cup.



Club owner and oil magnate Patrice Motsepe paid Spanish powerhouses Barcelona €3-million (almost R45-million) to make the one-day trip to South Africa to play against Mamelodi Sundowns at FNB Stadium on Wednesday night.

This figure was revealed by the Spanish press, which reported that it excluded the costs for the chartered plane that left Barcelona on Tuesday night with business-class seating for the 21 players and the rest of the staff.

The cost of the trip to SA had been the subject of furious speculation for days. Some reports suggested that Motsepe paid about R105-million to convince Barcelona to come to SA.

Argentina superstar Lionel Messi’s involvement in the Nelson Mandela Centenary Cup encounter against Sundowns had also been the subject of fierce speculation and some doubted that he would make the trip to SA.