TheNewsGuru

Tag: Messi

  • Tax fraud: Messi escapes jail term, as court rules he pays €252,000 fine instead

    Lionel Messi and his father saw their suspended prison sentences for tax fraud reduced to fines by a Barcelona court on Friday.

    The pair had been convicted of hiding image rights royalties in offshore accounts and had been given suspended jail terms of 21 and 15 months.

    Messi will pay 252,000 euros ($287,000) and his father 180,000 euros.

    Messi will not spend any time in jail after the Barcelona court agreed that his 21-month prison sentence for tax fraud could be replaced with a fine of around €252,000.

    Messi’s father Jorge, whose original sentence was reduced to 15 months upon appeal, has also seen his punishment exchanged for a fine of around €180,000.

    Prosecutors first said last month that they were not opposed to the Barca star being fined €400 per day for the duration of the sentence, an option also put forward by the player’s defence team.

    A judge has now accepted that proposition put forward by prosecutors by making what should be the final decision in a case which has been ongoing for a number of years.

    Messi and his father were both found guilty of three counts of tax fraud totalling €4.7 million last year. In addition to their sentences, they were ordered to pay fines of €2m and €1.5m respectively.

    AFP

  • Messi agrees to prolong contract until 2021 – FC Barcelona

    Messi agrees to prolong contract until 2021 – FC Barcelona

    Lionel Messi will extend his contract with Barcelona until June 30, 2021, the Spanish top club announced Wednesday.

    The five-time Ballon d’Or winner, 30, has spent his entire professional career at Camp Nou after moving to Spain from his native Argentina at the age of 13.

    Barcelona in a statement, said: “the club is very happy with both the renewal and the commitment of Messi, the best player in history, who has played his full professional career at Barca and has led the team to an era of extraordinary success, the likes of which has never been seen in world football.

    “The Argentinian is in one of the best moments of his career and still has a lot more left to give, which is music to the ears of all Barça fans who will get to continue marvelling at his greatness for at least another four years.”

    Messi is expected to sign the new contract after he returns from holiday for the start of pre-season training.
    He married his childhood sweetheart Antonella Roccuzzo on June 30 in his hometown of Rosario.

    Barcelona moved to secure the forward’s future, with his previous deal set to expire in June 2018, and he is reported to have a new release fee clause of 300 million euros (340 million dollars).

    Messi has netted a record 507 goals in 583 matches for Barcelona, lifting four Champions League trophies, eight La Liga titles and five Copa del Reys among other silverware.

    The number 10 is also the Spanish top flight’s record scorer with 349 goals, after making his debut in 2004 as a 17-year-old.

  • Photo News: Gathering of stars as Barcelona star, Messi weds childhood sweetheart

    Photo News: Gathering of stars as Barcelona star, Messi weds childhood sweetheart

    It was all splendour, excitement and glamour as Barcelona forward, Lionel Messi said “I do” to childhood sweetheart and mother of their two children Antonella Roccuzzo on Friday in his Argentine hometown Rosario, where footballers and celebrities gathered for what Argentine media described as the “wedding of the century.”

    Following the private ceremony, the couple appeared happy and relaxed as they walked a red carpet before hundreds of journalists at a hotel and casino complex, Roccuzzo donning a tight, mermaid-style gown by Spanish designer Rosa Clara.

    The couple’s children Thiago, four, and Mateo, one, had front seats at the ceremony attended by some 260 guests, including Shakira and her husband, Messi’s teammate Gerard Pique, and numerous footballers such as Messi’s Barcelona strike partners Neymar, Luis Suarez and other gallery of stars.

    See pictures from the star studded event below:

  • Messi angry with Barca over Ronaldo’s shine

    Messi angry with Barca over Ronaldo’s shine

    Lionel Messi isn’t happy with Barcelona with Cristiano Ronaldo on target to win a fifth Ballon d’Or, according to reports.

    Despite the Argentine scoring more goals in La Liga (37) than his Real Madrid rival (25), Messi was left with just a Copa del Rey to show for his efforts.

    Meanwhile, Ronaldo has enjoyed a sensational 12 months that has seen him win La Liga, the European Championship with Portugal, the Ballon d’Or, and the Champions League… twice.

    The Portuguese superstar is on course to win a fifth Ballon d’or title that would take him level with Messi and the 29-year-old isn’t happy about it.

    Spanish publication Diario Gol claim he is angry with Barca for having such a poor season that has led to Madrid and Ronaldo’s success.
    He is said to be concerned with the club’s transfer policy and feels there is a need to improve the training at the club’s famous La Masia academy.

    And they suggest Messi is particularly unhappy with former boss Luis Enrique and team-mate Jeremy Mathieu.

    Two incidents in particular bothered the forward when it came to Enrique choosing his team selection that included Mathieu.

    Back in April, Mathieu started at the back in Barca’s 2-0 defeat to Malaga as they dropped points in the race for the La Liga title.
    Three days later Enrique again decided to start Mathieu in the Champions League and they subsequently lost the first leg of their quarter-final tie against Juventus 3-0.

    Messi believes those two games were huge turning points in Barca’s season and has proven to be detrimental to his chances of winning the Ballon d’Or later this year.

    Mathieu has been widely tipped to leave Barca this summer after failing to impress last season, making just 16 appearances in all competitions.

    The 33-year-old has one year left to run on his current contract.

     

    Culled from http://www.express.co.uk

  • Alleged Rivalry: ‘I am not a friend of Messi, we are colleagues’ C. Ronaldo declares

    Alleged Rivalry: ‘I am not a friend of Messi, we are colleagues’ C. Ronaldo declares

    …says ‘I enjoy watching him play’

    Real Madrid forward, Cristiano Ronaldo has said that he enjoys watching his Barcelona rival, Lionel Messi play football.

    The Portugal captain revealed that he enjoys watching the Argentine play and that he appreciates his talents.

    When asked about Messi during an interview with Fox Sports Argentina, Ronaldo said, “Of course I like him, as I like to watch all of the good players and he is one of those.

    “He is a ‘crack’, a star.

    “I really enjoy watching him play.”

    Ronaldo added that he has no reason to dislike Messi while justifying their healthy relationship.

    He said, “How could I dislike somebody who hasn’t done anything bad against me?”

    “When they ask Messi about me, he also speaks well of me.

    “We have a cordial relationship, one of mutual respect.

    “(Our supposed rivalry) is a thing of the media, who have to do and sell their business.”

    Ronaldo, however, admitted that they are not close and that their relationship is a limited one, even if it is positive.

    “I am not a friend of Messi, but we are colleagues,” he said.

    “We have shared many moments in the awards ceremonies of the past 10 years and I have a very good relationship with him.

    “We don’t go for dinner together, but I respect him.

    “He is a professional colleague, not a rival.”

  • Messi rejects new Barcelona contract

    Lionel Messi has turned down Barcelona’s offer of a new contract worth between £25m-30m a year.

    Spanish newspaper, AS, reports that the 28-year-old wants an improved offer from the club.

    Messi’s current deal at the Nou Camp runs out in June 2018 and he has been in discussions with the La Liga champions over an extension for months.

    However, negotiations between Messi’s father and agent, Jorge and Barca president Josep Maria Bartomeu, have not been concluded.

    But despite the initial contract rejection, AS reports that a deal is still likely to be struck over the coming weeks.
    It is understood that Messi is ready to hold out, especially given the recent contracts given to team-mates Luis Suarez and Neymar.

  • Messi behaves impeccably on pitch – Enrique

    FC Barcelona coach Luis Enrique defended the integrity of Lionel Messi on Saturday after the Argentine was hit with a lengthy ban from international football for insulting an assistant referee.

    TheNewsGuru.com reports that Messi was handed a four-game suspension by FIFA on Tuesday for the incident during Argentina’s 1-0 win over Chile in a World Cup qualifier.

    The suspension, which came less than six hours to the match, forced him out of his side’s 2-0 defeat by Chile.

    Messi is suspended for Barca’s La Liga game at Granada on Sunday after collecting five yellow cards in the league season, although he has only committed seven fouls in the campaign.

    He had received the majority of the bookings for dissent.

    “Those numbers are incredible. He is super respectful towards referees and he never causes controversy,” Enrique said.

    “We should appreciate that, especially when you consider he is the best player in the world. He is always under pressure and with everyone watching his every move. His behaviour is impeccable.”

    Enrique also confirmed that defender Gerard Pique has been rested for the trip to struggling Granada, who are seven points adrift of safety.

    He however said neither absentee would tempt him to alter his side’s new 3-4-3 formation.

    “It won’t affect our style of play because we can use the same system irrespective of who is available and we will because we believe it’s the best system for us,” the former Spanish international added.

    Barca trail leaders Real Madrid by two points in the standings and have played a game more than Zinedine Zidane’s side, who host Alaves on Sunday four hours before Barca’s game.

    Messi is the top scorer in La Liga with 25 goals and has scored nine times in his last seven appearances in all competitions for Barca.

    They have dropped five points in the three games he has sat out this season.

    “Of course we would love to be able to count on Messi on Sunday, but the good thing is that he gets to rest and that will serve him well,” Enrique said.

  • Messi merits to win Ballon d’Or, better than Ronaldo – Neymar

    Messi merits to win Ballon d’Or, better than Ronaldo – Neymar

    Barcelona star, Neymar said team-mate and five-time Ballon d’Or winner, Lionel Messi, will receive France Football’s 2016 prize next week, and not Cristiano Ronaldo. He said Messi deserves to win the Ballon d’Or.

    Ronaldo is the overwhelming favourite to win France Football’s 2016 Ballon d’Or prize, which will be announced next week, after helping Madrid win last season’s Champions League.

    The 31-year-old also guided Portugal to their Euro 2016 success as he ended the 2015-16 campaign with 51 goals in all competitions for Madrid, while he scored three at the European Championship in France.

    Neymar, however, insists his Barca team-mate, Messi should receive the award after seeing the Spanish giants retain their La Liga title.

    He told GOL, “I don’t know who will win, for me there is only one who’s the best, that’s Messi.

    “Ronaldo is a great player, he’s world class and has been for many years and I respect him.

    “But Messi is the one who deserves it, for me.”

    Messi has scored 20 goals in all competitions for Barcelona in the current campaign, with nine of those coming in La Liga and 10 in the Champions League.

    Ronaldo has netted a league-high 10 goals in La Liga as Madrid top the standings, but has only netted twice in Europe this season.