FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - FC Barcelona Press Conference - Camp Nou, Barcelona, Spain - August 6, 2021 Newspapers are seen displaying front page images of Barcelona's Lionel Messi at a newspaper selling stall outside the Camp Nou before the press conference REUTERS/Albert Gea/File Photo
LONDON (Reuters) - The departure of six-time Ballon d'Or winner Lionel Messi from Barcelona has confirmed what many fans have feared for years - star player wages are now so stratospheric that they risk bankrupting even the grandest clubs.
The charts below show some of the mind-boggling numbers involved in the world's richest leagues, where the financial strains are most acute, and how COVID-19 has compounded the problems.
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