Lionel Messi given 21 month jail term for tax fraud

Lionel Messi, AKA the best football player on the face of the planet, has been sentenced to 21 months in prison for tax fraud today.

Found guilty alongside his father Jorge Messi on three counts of defrauding the Spanish government of €4.1 (£3.5m), the decision comes despite previous claims from Messi - pictured testifying earlier this year - that he "knew nothing" about the management of his finances.

Whether that is true or not, it would seem the Spanish court in Barcelona deem him culpable for the missing euros. However, the good news for the Barcelona star is that neither he nor his father will have to step foot inside a jail cell, as under Spanish law, prison terms less than two years can be served with probation.

Are we likely to see the star wearing an ankle bracelet in the Camp Nou next year, and will he even be allowed to play in certain countries when the Champions League gets back underway? 

Still, at least we know it won’t interfere with his games for Argentina, having already announced his premature retirement from international football following his side’s dismal Copa America defeat to Chile last week.

Time will tell just how deep the ramifications of this ruling go. Not to mention how the footballing genius himself explains it all. 

And you thought Roy Hodgson was the biggest fraud in football…