Lionel Messi, father jailed for 21 Months for Tax Evasion

Barcelona and Argentine striker, Lionel Messi and his father have been sentenced to 21 months in prison for tax fraud but he will not serve them

The Messis were found to have evaded tax on Lionel’s image rights, owing more than €4m in back payments, and the Court of Catalonia has sentenced the pair to just under two years in prison.

However, as the sentence is short of two years, and neither Lionel nor Jorge have a criminal record, they won’t be required to serve any jail time.

Leo Messi had argued that he wasn’t aware of the tax arrangements set in place by his father and other advisors, but the state attorney, Mario Maza, compared the player to a mafia boss, who has deniability on the illegal goings-on in his name.