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#3 For being Cristiano Ronaldo’s biggest rival
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are the two best players of this generation. Their rivalry was at its fiercest during El Clasicos in La Liga, but the bitter aftertaste lingers to this day. Ronaldo fanatics do not want to give Messi credit for what he has achieved so far, claiming is far inferior to the Portuguese.
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Messi fanatics also have the potential to be just as annoying. They often overhype the Argentine for the pettiest of things and tend to abuse Ronaldo and his fans just for the sake of banter.
The never-ending Messi-Ronaldo debate has turned into one of the most irksome events in football, and we hope for it to conclude sooner rather than later.
#2 For his tax scandals
Lionel Messi’s squeaky-clean image on the football pitch is an example to millions of aspiring footballers. However, if you focus on his personal life, you are bound to be a little off-guard. Messi, who happens to be one of the highest-paid footballers the world has ever seen, has committed tax fraud alongside his father.
Lionel Messi was handed a 21-month prison sentence after being found guilty of tax fraud by Spanish authorities in 2016. Alongside the sentence, he was ordered to pay a fine of €2 million. The father-son duo used tax havens in Uruguay and Belize to hide their earnings from image rights. They reportedly defrauded the country of €4.1m in two years, between 2007 and 2009.
Messi ultimately paid €252,000 to avoid the prison sentence, but his “pristine” image took a massive hit. The former Barcelona man is still being taunted for his tax fraud to this day.
#1 For simply being too good at his job
Lionel Messi is probably not the most lovable character out there, but he also has not done much to be disliked so diligently. Come to think of it, the Argentine only has one irredeemable, unfixable flaw - how good he is at football.
Lionel Messi won everything there was to win at Barcelona. He won 10 La Ligas, four Champions Leagues, two trebles, seven Spanish Cups and many more. Not only did Messi score a whopping 672 goals, but he also provided 301 assists in 778 appearances for the Catalan giants
There is not a single team out there that will not benefit from Lionel Messi’s genius and not many fans are ready for that conversation.
