Last summer, Lionel Messi completed the biggest free transfer in football history.

Due to various financial reasons, the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner was forced to leave Barcelona and he ended up at Paris Saint-Germain.

Messi signed a two-year deal worth around £60 million in wages with the French side and he won the Ligue 1 title in his debut season, scoring 11 goals and assisting 15 more across all competitions along the way.

As well as contributing to PSG's on-pitch success, the Argentine legend has brought in a serious amount of income through commercial deals.

According to El Economista, translated by The Mirror, the signing of Messi has generated an extra £612 million for the club - which really is an insane amount of money.

Messi's arrival has been game-changer for PSG

Since Messi arrived at the club just over a year ago, PSG have added a whopping 13% to their income stream after striking deals with various big-name brands, including Dior and - quite fittingly - GOAT.

Lionel Messi in action for PSG

SAITAMA, JAPAN - JULY 23: Lionel Messi of Paris Sait-Germain looks on during the preseason friendly between Paris Saint-Germain and Urawa Red Diamonds at Saitama Stadium on July 23, 2022 in Saitama, Japan. (Photo by Koji Watanabe/Getty Images)

The value of the team in terms of cryptocurrencies has also doubled following the 35-year-old's arrival. It exceeded €300 million for the first time in the club's history.

"We were closing a deal with a cryptocurrency before signing Messi and in the following weeks the price skyrocketed because people showed more interest in getting on board," Marc Armstrong, Director of Marketing for PSG, told Spanish publication Marca.

In terms of shirt sales, Messi has also proved to be a catalyst for newfound success at the Parc des Princes.

Messi makes up 60% of PSG's shirt sales this season

Lionel Messi's PSG shirt

PARIS, FRANCE - AUGUST 11: Lionel Messi poses with his jersey after the press conference of Paris Saint-Germain at Parc des Princes on August 11, 2021 in Paris, France. (Photo by Sebastien Muylaert/Getty Images)

PSG have sold around one million shirts so far this season according to El Economista's report and an enormous 60% of them have 'Messi 30' on the back.

They could sell even more as well, but the overwhelming demand just cannot be met.

"Demand has grown between 30 per cent and 40 per cent," Armstrong added. "When one of these transfers takes place, people think that they are paid by selling shirts, and that is not entirely the case. You cannot produce a lot of extra shirts. The agreement is made to cover some minimums, which are very important, but you cannot satisfy all the demand for Messi shirts."

Crazy, right? The commercial power of Messi is unlike any other footballer, barring his eternal rival Cristiano Ronaldo - who is at the very least his equal in that department.

Buy your Messi GOAT t-shirt HERE

There can be absolutely no doubting that the signing of Messi has been a masterstroke by PSG, which many correctly envisioned it would be.

The Rosario-born maestro's arrival has even helped the club become a force on social media, with their follower count on all platforms increasing over the past 12 months or so - Instagram in particular, which has grown from 38.5 million to 60.9 million

It really has been Messi-mania in Paris and given the fact he's dropping 10/10 performances week in week out this season, legendary status at PSG may await him.

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