What was Lionel Messi’s tax evasion problem and what was the outcome of the court case?
Messi is loaded - the highest paid soccer player on the planet - but some of his wealth has come at a cost
LIONEL MESSI is estimated to boast a net worth of £300 million.
That's thanks to being the highest paid soccer player on the planet.
World Cup star Messi, 30, enjoys an annual salary of £25.4m at Barcelona - or £497,000 a week.
Impressive endorsement deals make up the rest for the Argentinian hitman.
Money - along with phenomenal skill - simply oozes out of him.
His mansion - where Messi lives with his wife and three kids - has a massive garden, a swimming pool and a football pitch.
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But has Messi's vast wealth ever landed him in hot water with the tax authorities?
Yes. Messi has had his share of financial troubles. And in 2016, Messi and his father Jorge were found guilty of tax fraud in Barcelona.
It was reported that they paid £10.5million in back taxes along with each being sentenced to prison (Lionel for 21 months, Jorge for 15) and fined (Lionel £1.75m, Jorge £1.3m).
But in 2017 the prison sentences were reduced to additional fines.
discovered that an audit of Barcelona placed considerable pressure on the five-time FIFA player-of-the-year, who already has a past tax evasion conviction on his record.
The questions centered around millions of euros in agent fees the club paid to Messi's father and money sent by FC Barcelona to the player's non-profit foundation.
The tax authorities held the view that the payments should be regarded as part of Lionel Messi's wages and thus subject to income tax.
