The great Argentine soccer star Lionel Messi is being accused of tax-fraud in Spain, where he scores goals in buckets (and makes buckets of money) for FC Barcelona. Messi and his father will go on trial for tax fraud after his appeal was denied by a Barcelona judge. Messi is accused of not paying nearly $4.6 million in taxes between 2007 and 2009. (Lionel Messi was just 20 in 2007.)
In a complex international business move, Messi and his father brokered Messi’s valuable image through companies in Uruguay and Belize. In their appeal, they claimed not to know that the setup illegally circumvented tax obligations in Spain, but the judge ruled that ignorance was no excuse. Messi was just named Mr. Champions League 2015. The trial will take place this summer.