This definitive guide to European football finance provides not only a track record up to the end of the 2010/11 season, but also includes some pointers on how the industry has developed in 2011/12 and is likely to change in the future. Compare this with our very own domestic league, the Kenya Premier League (KPL)...their finance reports and statements are hardly published anywhere given the intense graft that engulfs the sport. But that's only part of being in Kenya.

In this piece, take 1 Pound = KES 135.80.

By the way, according to Forbes, last year alone Lionel Messi took home $39 million plus $19 million from sponsors. That's total of $ 58 Million or KES 4.782 Billion

In the Kenya Premier League, the largest gate collection so far this season has been KES 4.7 Million on March 18th 2012. Each team plays 30 matches meaning Lionel Messi's one-year pay would comfortably cover the tickets for a full capacity Nyayo Stadium for 1,060 matches spanning a total 35 years.

See how much our economy can benefit through football...or is it soccer?

The numbers below don't lie. They show the economic side of football in Europe. How long a way does Kenya have to go to get here?