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These were pictures we typically associate with box offices at big concerts, where fans await their idol. This is what Barcelona experienced on Thursday ... for the eyes of Yannis Varoufakis.

The news was spread by a Russian site. There is, however, another reliable source: the plentiful tweets of people who attended the former Greek finance minister's event. Their pictures show lines of people queuing for entry to the hall.

As the Russian website says, "all these people haven't flocked to Barcelona to worship at the Sagrada Familia, but to attend the lecture of a man who never negotiates – the charismatic Yannis Varoufakis who has already become a rock star."

Varoufakis himself was impressed by the Catalans' interest and twittered his thanks to them.

Meanwhile, Avgi published information citing a report of the French state television. It says that Yannis Varoufakis demands a €55,000 fee for any talk at an overseas event. And if should be topped up by the cost of air fare, a five-star hotel and other expenses associated with his stay.

Similar fees per talk are pocketed by the famous German former green MEP Daniel Cohn-Bendit, the former French prime minister Francois Fillon and former German prime minister Gerhard Schroeder. Former British prime ministers Tony Blair and Gordon Brown charge higher.

Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy tops the ranking: he charges €165,000 per event, plus a private jet, a suite in a five-star hotel as well as footing the bill of his five assistants.