Lionel Messi's strict rule for commercial shots left exposed by Will Ferrell

Lionel Messi has a strict rule during commercial shoots that must be met - or else he leaves.

That's according to Hollywood star Will Ferrell, who received the information from fellow actor Steve Carell after he starred in a recent World Cup commercial with the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner.

As one of the biggest stars in the world, Messi regularly works with massive brands - appearing in adverts for the likes of Adidas, Pepsi, Michelob Ultra, Gatorade, EA Sports and more.

More recently, he was in a star-studded 'No Lay's No Game' campaign that also included David Beckham, Thierry Henry, Alexia Putellas and Carell.

In the advert, Messi turned up to a special Lay's viewing party at Beckham's house - shaking hands and signing autographs after knocking on the door with crisps in hand.

The Inter Miami and Argentina star then sat down to watch the game at the party. But while he looked like was enjoying himself, it's emerged that Messi likes to get all his commercial activities done in swift manner and has no desire hanging around.

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According to Ferrell, citing his conversations with fellow comedic actor Carell, Messi refuses to go over 30 minutes on set and will leave if his shots are not finalised in that period.

"I talked to Steve Carell, who has met Messi," Ferrell said, speaking on the Dan Patrick Show.

"I was in the domestic campaign for Lay’s potato chips; Steve was in the foreign campaign. Apparently Messi was in, and Messi has a rule: when he hits the set, you got 30 minutes with Messi, and that’s it.

"So there was a frenzy of activity to hurry up and get all the shots with Messi; otherwise, he’s out. He’s vamos.”

Messi is the highest-paid player in the MLS, where figures released in October showed he had a base salary of $12million as well as a guaranteed compensation of $20.4million.

However, that was before a new three-year contract extension which the 39-year-old signed.

Lionel Messi's staggering earnings on and off the pitch

Messi also has an agreement for an equity stake in Inter, as well as various bonuses and clauses in his deal.

His impact on the pitch at David Beckham's franchise has been mirrored by his contributions away from it as he has single-handedly driven huge sponsorship arrangements.

According to Inter owner Jorge Mas, Messi receives around $80million per year from the club.

"The reason that I need to have sponsors and for them to be world class is because players are expensive,” Mas said in March.

“I pay Messi—worth every penny—but it’s $70 to $80 million a year. Across everything.”

Messi's on the pitch earnings are gigantic but he also pockets huge sums from endorsements. In a report released by Forbes in October, Messi's off-pitch earnings stand at around $70million annually.

Messi has a lifetime contract with Adidas and has been associated with the three-striped brand since 2006 after switching from Nike.

He signed the unique agreement in 2017 and is believed to earn $25million per year.