Prosecutors agree to drop Messi’s tax fraud case

The €4 million (£3.2 million) case, which accused Barcelona icon Lionel Messi of tax fraud, has been dropped by the Spanish state prosecutor.

An investigation began in June 2013 involving payments made for Messi’s image rights from 2006 to 2009.

The Argentinean’s father, Jorge Horacio Messi, is still under investigation.

According to a statement released by the Spanish state prosecutor, “the player was unaware of, and on the margin, of the financial and business structure that his financial advisers had created to manage his income and obligatory fiscal payments.”

Messi one of the world’s highest paid athletes, earns over €40 million (£32 million) a season in salary and bonuses, as well as an additional €23 million (£18 million) from sponsors, according to Forbes magazine.

The 26 year old Argentinean made a successful start to his World Cup campaign, scoring a classic Messi goal to help Argentina beat Bosnia Herzegovina 2-1.