Barcelona are one of the biggest clubs in the world with some of the best players in the world, yet, they find themselves in muddy water more often that is expected of a club of their stature. With big players comes the responsibility of ensuring none of them gets on the wrong side of the law given the implications it could have on the club.
But amazingly, a host of current and former Barcelona players have been accused of tax evasion and have even been fined and slapped with jail terms. It's no coincidence that only Barcelona's players are caught as we're yet to learn the reason as to why this happens.
Maybe the club has poor financial advisers or the players are influenced heavily by their families to invest in shady agreements that ultimately comes back to bite them. Whatever the reason, association with Barcelona means you have a file in the Agencia Tributaria.
Here are five current and former Barcelona players who have caught for tax evasion:
#5 Javier Mascherano
Javier Mascherano may be one of Barcelona's most underrated players given how much he bails them out every now and then on the field. Yet between 2011 and 2011, the Argentine failed to pay taxes mounting up to €1.5 million.
Mascherano was subsequently questioned by the tax authorities and sentenced to a year in jail along with having to pay a fine of €800,000. The main charge was that Mascherano was concealing part of what he earned from his image rights – both with the club and a host of his sponsors. However, Mascherano didn't need to serve jail term with lawyers mooting with the idea of replacing it with a bigger fine.
“I’m a sporting professional, I don’t have a great understanding of tax and legal matters,” he said shortly after being accused.
“Therefore, to deal with what are for me technical and complicated matters, I have to rely on other people. Throughout all my career I have been an honest person, responsible and respectful of my team-mates and the clubs that I have played for and the countries I have lived in.
“I reserve the possibility of action against those who have badly advised me by recommending something that was not right.”
#4 Samuel Eto’o
Former Barcelona star Samuel Eto’o is another one accused of not paying taxes to the Spanish government while playing for the club. The Cameroonian played for the Catalan club from 2006 to 2009 and was instrumental in the success of the club.
But now Spanish prosecutors are demanding a fine of £12.11 million along with a 10-year jail term for failing to pay £3.21 million during his playing years at the Catalan club. Eto’o is the latest of many former and current Barcelona players to have been accused of tax evasion.
But the Cameroonian has yet to release a statement regarding the accusations and inform the public as to how he's going to proceed further. Along with the charges levied upon him, his representatives at the time, Jose Maria Mesalles Mata, is also being fined and demanded be put in jail.
#3 Alexis Sanchez
Another former Barcelona star, Alexis Sanchez, was accused of not paying taxes to the Spanish government. The Chilean was accused of not playing over £888,246 in taxes between 2012 and 2013.
The now Arsenal man was accused of using an offshore company based in Malta to avoid paying taxes he earned through image rights. The charges were made three years after he committed the crime, and two years after he left the club to join the Gunners.
"Alexis Sanchez has fully obeyed the laws imposed by the countries where he has resided,” his agent said.
"He has paid taxes to all the local tax and revenue organisations. Furthermore, all of his personal and image rights income has been declared to all of those national tax and revenue agencies."
#2 Neymar
Probably the biggest fish yet for the tax authorities but while most of the other names on the list have been charged by Spanish authorities for tax evasion, Neymar was charged by the Brazilian government for failing to pay his taxes.
The 24-year-old was supposed to have concealed £11 million in taxes using three companies in his family's name in Brazil. As a result, a Sau Paulo court ceased and froze multiple assets belonging to Neymar and his family including a private jet, a yacht and the three companies that helped in hide his financial data in the first place.
The amount of money being claimed by the Brazilian court includes the players’ assets gained during his two final seasons at Santos – 2012 and 2013 – along with what was earned during his highly lucrative move to Barcelona in the summer of 2013.
#1 Lionel Messi
Lionel Messi and his father, Jorge Messi, were both charged by Spanish authorities and sentenced to 21-months of jail term for failing to pay almost €4 million in taxes during the Argentine's playing career at Barcelona.
Now a Spanish citizen, Messi used offshore companies in Belize and Uruguay to conceal a large portion of his income that he received from image rights. And while he admitted he know nothing of the affair given his father handles all his financial dealings, he was still slapped with a jail term of 21 months.
But Messi wouldn't have to physically go to jail given the duration is less for two years and that he lacks a prior criminal record. Another caveat was also that he'd be free to roam as long as he didn't repeat the offence during the time of his sentence.
“FC Barcelona gives all its support to Leo Messi and his father with relation to the sentence for tax evasion handed out by the provincial court in Barcelona today,” read a statement from the defending Spanish champions.
“The club, in agreement with the government prosecution service, considers that the player, who has corrected his position with the Spanish tax office, is in no way criminally responsible with regards to the facts underlined in this case.
“FC Barcelona continues to be at the disposal of Leo Messi and his family to support him in whatever action he decides to take in defence of his honesty and his legal interests.”
Also Read: Chronicling Lionel Messi's tax fraud case
