Lionel Messi exit 'to knock £116m off Barcelona brand value'

Barcelona are reportedly set to lose 11% of their entire brand revenue following the departure of club legend Lionel Messi.

The 34-year-old bid an emotional farewell to the Catalan outfit during a press conference on Sunday, and the forward has since been linked with a move to Paris Saint-Germain.

According to Brand Finance, Messi's exit could cost Barca £116m – £65m in commercial revenue, £14.5m from matchday revenue and £36.5m in shirt sales and merchandising.

Barcelona's current brand value stands at around £1.1bn; however over a tenth of this figure is expected to be wiped out due to Messi's departure.

The report also states that Barca are set to drop from second place to third in the world's most valuable club rankings, falling behind Manchester United, while La Liga rivals Real Madrid sit top of the current standings.

Messi is a global superstar and has more than 240m followers on Instagram, more than double that of the official Barcelona account (99.5m), while the Argentine's number 10 shirt is understood to generate more than £169m.