Paying Messi his wages wasn't the problem, because he paid for himself in terms of sponsorships. He genuinely was synonymous with Barca the club for a decade.

It was because they paid ridiculous transfer fees for players like Dembele and Griezmann and Coutinho, and then also paying them stupid wages. Its why they now can't get rid of players like Braithwaite, who's on wages far greater than anything he would receive anywhere else.

The reason so many of their players agreed to lower their wages isn't just from the goodness of their hearts. They realised that even when they lowered their wages, they were being paid more than they would anywhere else.