Lionel Messi Reaches €15 Million Settlement in Tax Fraud Case

Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi and his father have reached a €15 million settlement with Spanish tax authorities, according to ESPN FC's Dermot Corrigan.

The settlement means that Messi can finally begin to put the ongoing distraction behind him and get back to preparation for next season. According to Spanish website El Periodico (via Corrigan), the reported settlement agreement means there will be no further action taken by the authorities.

Does this settlement impact how you view Lionel Messi?
Yes, it's a black eye on his legacy
21.2%
No, he's still a great player
73.9%
Not sure
4.9%
Total votes: 1,423

The two men were scheduled to appear in court in Spain on Sept. 17 to address the charges of tax fraud. According to Corrigan, the charges against Messi and his father, Jorge, claimed that the duo and the star's financial advisers "had illegally re-routed image rights revenues through offshore tax havens to avoid paying the €4.1 million tax due."

Earlier this week, it was reported that Messi had made an additional €10 million payment to tax authorities in order to cover his image rights for 2010 and 2011.

With the payment date for those same 2012 taxes set for the end of June, Corrigan suggests that the total amount Messi is paying out for image rights taxes is roughly €30 million.

According to the report, Messi and his father could have potentially faced up to five years in prison if found guilty of tax fraud in a Spanish court.

Messi, who turned 26 earlier this week, is widely regarded as the best football player on the planet. He scored a record 91 combined goals between club and international play in 2012.

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Messi's new boots revealed

Well looky here at what was waiting on Pies’ doormat this morning: Lionel Messi’s new signature line of Adidas F50 boots in what we’re told is a “Turbo, Blast Purple and White” colourway that “represents the way Messi lights up every pitch he plays on.”

Turbo and Blast Purple we can get on board with, but “white” is a bit boring and perfunctory. How about “Extreme Milk” or “All The Wavelengths Of The Visible Spectrum” or “Albino Polar Bear’s Chuff”?

Anyway, Messi’s new F50s will first be worn during the ‘Messi and Friends’ tour this coming Saturday and  you can stay in the loop by joining ‘Team Messi’ at Facebook.com/TeamMessi and/or @TeamMessi on Twitter should you wish.

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Barça gives up on Thiago

Thiago Alcántara is now enjoying his holidays following success in the U-21 European Championships where he not only played a starring role in the final, scoring a hat-trick, but was named as player of the tournament. Barcelona, meanwhile, is waiting on official confirmation of something it has been expecting for some time now: that Thiago is to leave.

The 'Azulgrana' club does not hold out much hope that the academy player will stay. Everything points to his departure despite some of his teammates, such as Xavi, Piqué and Cesc, asking him to be patient. The player's mind seems to be made up and it is now just a matter of time before the official announcement.

Thiago has a firm offer from Manchester United which, according to 'The Daily Mail' is prepared to pay him €6 million a season in a five-year contract. The player will therefore be given star status and the minutes he wants. The fact that he still has not signed for the English club is not because he is considering staying at Barcelona, but down to possible interest from Bayern Munich.

The €18 million the club would collect for Thiago would be a welcome boost to the club's coffers with a view to tackling the new signings considered as priorities, such as that of the other Thiago: Thiago Silva.

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Sylvinho: It will not be easy for Neymar to outdo Messi

The 39-year-old feels the Argentina international is in a league of his own and has questioned his compatriot's ability to outshine him

Former Barcelona defender Sylvinho believes Neymar faces a tough task to outperform Lionel Messi following his move from Santos to the Spanish champions.

Much is expected of the Brazil international following his fine performances at the Confederations Cup, but Sylvinho thinks his 21-year-old compatriot could end up playing second fiddle to Messi.

"Neymar is Brazil's best player at the moment and one of the best in the world. But to outperform Messi, who has won the Ballon d'Or four times, will be very complicated," Sylvinho told Fox Sports Brasil.

"Ronaldo, Romario and Ronaldinho, three very impressive players, all didnt achieve such a feat.

"And there's much more to Barcelona than just Messi. They also have [Andres] Iniesta and Xavi. It will not be easy for Neymar."

Sylvinho won three Liga titles and two Champions League trophies during his time at Barcelona from 2004 until 2009.

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Cruyff: Barcelona should sell Messi now they have Neymar

The Netherlands legend believes the Catalans have created a potential conflict of interest within the squad by signing the Brazil starlet to play alongside the Argentine

Barcelona icon Johan Cruyff feels the Catalans should consider cashing in on Lionel Messi now they have brought Neymar on board.

The Liga champions signed Neymar in a deal worth €57 million earlier this summer and Cruyff envisages problems following the former Santos star's arrival.

"With Neymar on board, I would have planned for the possibility of selling Messi. Some would agree with me and others would not," Cruyff told Marca.

"Neymar's arrival could cause problems. Just look at free kicks for example. Neymar is very good at taking them. And Messi has already shown he is great, too. Who's going to take them...

"Or the fact that Neymar and Barcelona are with Nike while Leo is with Adidas. These are situations that could cause problems.

"You are talking about a team, its players, the things around it. There are too may things at stake. That's why it's so difficult to manage such a top class squad.

"Neymar is talented, but we will have to wait and see how he gets along with the rest of the squad. I would not have taken the risk of bringing in Neymar."

Messi has a contract with Barcelona until June 2018, while Neymar recently inked a five-year deal, too.

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David Villa : Neymar will make Barcelona happy

Barcelona striker David Villa has predicted that Brazil sensation Neymar will “make us happy” when he links up with the Spanish super club later this year.
Neymar, 21, signed for Barca in a reported USD 75.3 million (57 million euros) deal earlier this month and he has thrilled at the Confederations Cup, scoring three stunning goals to fire the hosts into the semi-finals.

Brazil’s forward Neymar celebrates after scoring against Italy on Saturday (inset) David Villa. PIC/AFP

Although Neymar’s arrival is likely to further curtail Villa’s playing time at Camp Nou, the 31-year-old says he is excited about the prospect of joining forces with Brazil’s boy wonder.

“He is one of the best players in the world right now,” Villa said, during a press conference ahead of Spain’s final Confederations Cup group game against Nigeria in Fortaleza on Sunday.  “We’ve waited a long time to get him and it’s a great pleasure to welcome a player like that to play in your country. He will make us happy.”

Brazil 4-2 Italy
Earlier on Saturday night, Brazil finished top of Confederations Cup Group ‘A’ by beating Italy in their final pool game in Salvador. Neymar maintained his record of scoring in each match at the tournament so far by grabbing his team’s second goal as the hosts forged ahead for a second time after Dante’s opener had been cancelled out by Emanuele Giaccherini.

Fred then netted twice, with Giorgio Chiellini on target in between, as the hosts extended their perfect start to the competition to head into the knockout stage — alongside the Azzurri — full of momentum.

Both teams headed into the game having already assured their places in the semi-finals, having beaten Mexico and Japan in their previous outings, and were effectively playing for the right to avoid in-form world and European champions Spain in the next round.

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Thiago's Father in talk with Barca's President on improving his Contract

Thiago the Prime of U21 Silverware

The 22-year-old's father Mazinho met with Barcelona president Sandro Rosell on Friday to discuss the prospect of an improved contract at Camp Nou.

Manchester United's hopes of signing Thiago Alcantara are in doubt after the midfielder was given assurances of an improved deal by Barcelona.

The 22-year-old's father Mazinho met with the Spanish club's president Sandro Rosell on Friday, when the prospect of a revised contract was discussed, so Thiago now has a concrete offer which would allow him to remain at Barcelona.

But the Spaniard could still opt to join United in a move worth just €18 million after the value of his release clause plummeted having failed to participate for a stipulated amount of minutes in 2012-13.

Reports in Spain have suggested that the youngster is unhappy with a lack of playing time at Camp Nou and is concerned that a lack of improvement regarding his squad status will jeopardise his chances of featuring at next summer's World Cup with Vicente del Bosque's Spain side.

The midfielder has not publicly expressed his desire to move clubs this summer but he insisted through Spain's Under-21s European Championship campaign that his future will be addressed after the tournament.

Thiago was one of Spain's standout players in Israel and his hat-trick helped Julen Lopetegui's side secure a 4-2 victory over Italy.

David Moyes, who will officially begin his reign as United manager on July 1, has identified Thiago as one of his priority transfer targets this summer.

United's veteran midfielder, Ryan Giggs, labelled Thiago as a "big talent" earlier in June. "I've seen him in several games," the former Wales international told Marca.

"He's a good player but there's always a lot of speculation with United and good players. We'll see if it happens in the end but he's a big talent."

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Lionel Messi father concludes that they are clear

Lionel Messi's father has reaffirmed that he and his son have done nothing wrong following their court summons as part of an inquiry into alleged tax fraud.

Jorge Horacio Messi claims the Barcelona forward has been part of a media-led witch-hunt.

It was announced yesterday that the pair had been summoned to a Gava court on September 17 to face questioning over an alleged scheme to avoid tax on the player's image rights, therefore defrauding the Spanish tax authority of 4million euros (£3.4million) between 2007 and 2009. Messi and his father have both denied the allegations.

Messi senior pointed out that his son pays substantial amounts in tax each year and also hinted that he may seek legal action against media organizations he claims have defamed him and his son once the legal dispute with the Spanish public prosecutor is over.

He told radio station Cope: "I can assure you that what (Lionel) pays every year is an eight-figure sum. We are relaxed because we have never missed a payment to the tax authority.

"It's normal that there's a difference in opinion between the authorities and our advisers, because there always is with people who pay a lot of tax.

"We know that there will be an agreement, but we are angry because certain sections of the media have conducted a slur campaign and tried to whip up hate. It's very cruel, but we will know what to do when this is all cleared up."

The four-time Ballon d'Or winner's lawyers also lamented the role played by the media in the situation and reiterated his innocence in an official statement published in Spanish newspaper Sport, which read: "We respect and will obey the judicial decision and put ourselves at the disposition of the judiciary to help resolve this case and establish the truth.

"We declare our confidence in being able to clear up the disparity of criteria and regret that the honor of our client has been put in doubt, because he has always scrupulously complied with Spanish law.

"We declare that our client will pay the final amount that is agreed upon, but we are convinced he has already paid everything he has legally been required to.

"We firmly believe in the innocence of our client and trust that the judicial investigation can be resolved in the shortest time possible. This case has left our client in a helpless situation with regards to the media, which we profoundly lament."

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Tracking down Juan Mata transfer rumors to Barcelona

Doing the rounds over the last few weeks has been the transfer rumour that Juan Mata, Chelsea's player of the year in each of the last two seasons, is set to depart Stamford Bridge this summer.

According to the Daily Mirror's Martin Lipton on June 18, Barcelona are set to make their move for the Spain international playmaker over a contract dispute between Mata and Blues manager Jose Mourinho.

Two days later, and once again in the Daily Mirror, Lipton would go on to say that Mata would be staying with the Blues.

Nonetheless, in the time between those articles, Simon Jones of the Daily Mail stated that "Jose Mourinho is struggling to fit the Spanish playmaker into his plans for next season" and the 25-year-old is indeed Barcelona's No.1 target ahead of the 2013-14 season.

All in all, whilst the potential for a move to the Spanish champions would certainly appear to be there—Los Cules may well hold a serious interest in the attacking midfielder—and the rumours are plentiful, there currently appears to be nothing definitive.

But why would Chelsea even contemplate allowing Mata to leave?

Since arriving at Stamford Bridge from Valencia in 2011, the diminutive Spaniard has become arguably the Blues' most important and decisive figure. His 19 goals and 35 assists in 2012-13 will attest to that.

Since Didier Drogba's departure, Mata has become the Blues' go-to guy and is the darling of the home support. They would be loathe to see a player who has become so integral depart.


Following Jose Mourinho's return to West London, supporters have largely been buoyant about the new campaign, with the sense that the constant upheaval of the six years since his departure in 2007 may have finally abated for good.

To do away with Mata, though—the idea supposedly mooted is that Mourinho prefers Eden Hazard in the central attacking role—would deflate some of that buoyancy.

Mourinho is an extremely bright and intelligent figure: You don't win all that he's won and manage the likes of Inter Milan and Real Madrid without being so.

He'll be fully aware that Mata has been one of the Blues' major strengths in recent seasons and that, if he can harness his abilities to their fullest, then he has at his disposal a genuinely world-class schemer who can lead Chelsea to further success.

Whether Mata doesn't fit into Mourinho's initial plans is very much open to debate and, in all honesty, really only known by the man himself.

But as he has shown throughout his managerial career, Mourinho is willing to adapt.

Where will Juan Mata be playing his football next season?
Chelsea
84.3%
Barcelona
13.2%
Any Other
2.5%
Total votes: 2,516

Whether it be formation-wise—preferring a 4-3-3 formation for the most part of his first stint as Chelsea boss, but utilising either a 4-3-1-2 or 4-2-3-1 formation whilst at Inter and a 4-2-3-1 at Real Madrid—or to suit personnel—most noticeably Wesley Sneijder whilst in charge of the Italians—he has shown that he can adapt to suit the situation at hand.

There is no reason to believe that he won't do so again.

And there is certainly no way that he will decide to let such a quality player depart.

As such, don't expect Mata to have headed for new pastures. He will still be at Chelsea come the start of the 2013-14 campaign..

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Luis Alberto is at Anfield

The past few days have been a perfect indicator of the type of player Brendan Rodgers prefers to work with.

On Friday, the Liverpool manager sanctioned towering striker Andy Carroll’s £15 million move to West Ham—less than 24 hours after acquiring uber-talented playmaker Luis Alberto from Sevilla.

Rodgers spent just under £7 million to sign the 20-year-old, and while the transaction has its risks, the player who was unveiled at the club’s Melwood training facility on Thursday has enough raw talent to suggest he may be viewed as a bargain buy in a few years’ time.

Although he signed professional papers in 2009, Luis Alberto played only seven La Liga matches during his three seasons in Spain. A graduate of Sevilla’s youth system, which he joined as an 11-year-old, he played most of his football for Sevilla Atletico in Segunda B and this past campaign was loaned to Barcelona’s second team, where he played alongside the likes of Gerard Deulofeu and Rafinha.

In 38 matches for the Barcelona B squad, Luis Alberto bagged 11 goals and added 17 assists, and the shambolic state of Sevilla’s finances required that they cash in on him while his stock was high.

A hybrid forward who can play in a withdrawn attacking role or on the left wing, Luis Alberto would fit perfectly up front in a 4-3-3 formation should Rodgers choose to emulate the setup that brought him so many plaudits at Swansea City.

Packing pace, skill and that unteachable element of football sense, he could also operate either in the middle or on the left of the playmaking trio in a 4-2-3-1 system, and already the prospect of him linking up with Philippe Coutinho is a mouth-watering one.

Rodgers is still likely to address his central striking situation, and with Luis Suarez expected to leave Anfield following the Confederations Cup, there will be even more depth required at the position.

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 But the 40-year-old has supposedly been given a €50 million war chest, and already, according to Goal.com, Shakhtar Donetsk forward Henrikh Mkhitaryan is thought to have been lined up as Suarez’s replacement.

As for business already conducted, Luis Alberto represents Rodgers’ third foray into the summer market, having already scooped up Kolo Toure on a free transfer from Manchester City and signed Iago Aspas from Celta Vigo.

But of the three, Luis Alberto looks to be Liverpool’s best piece of business so far.

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