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This topic might surprise many. After all, Lionel Messi is one of the most-loved sports stars in the world. And it is true. The Argentine’s soft-spoken and mild-mannered nature, coupled with his brilliant abilities as a footballer, has won him many fans world over.
While a lot of people absolutely adore him, there are, however, some who like to loathe him for various reasons. Sometimes, and it is very rare, one can understand the animosity towards him. However, in most cases, the hate is inscrutable.
Since there aren’t many reasons for people to dislike him, here are 5 reasons why some people hate him:
#1 Tax fraud
The most damning moment of Lionel Messi’s career is not losing three finals in a row with Argentina, but being embroiled in the mess of the tax controversy that has his lawyers and father to blame more than the Argentine superstar.
Messi was in his early 20s when he apparently evaded taxes. The court concluded that his father was the person that was most responsible for the dodging of taxes worth 3.19 million pounds from 2007-2009.
The Barcelona number 10 was only 20-22 years of age back then. When I was 20-22, I didn’t know how to count money properly, let alone paying taxes that rises up to millions because of the huge amount of salary that Messi earns.
Despite not having much awareness about the issue, there are some people who think he is a genuine fraud and is the worst thing to happen to mankind since Justin Bieber decided to become a professional singer.
#2 Enviable family
Lionel Messi’s family could be labeled as perfect. Even though there is no such thing as perfect in our world, his family is a really adorable one which includes a beautiful partner and two absolutely lovely sons.
As Bette Ridler sings in The Rose, love is for the lucky and the strong. Not everyone in this world finds true love, but Messi has – and he is living his dream by being with Antonella Rocuzzo.
Envy is one of the biggest vices that humans possess, and it is this jealousy that stems irrational hate from some people.
Person 1: “Wow, look at Messi and his family.”
Person 2 thinks ‘what a lucky person’ before saying: “In the end, he is a tax fraud.”
Person 1: “That’s unrelated, bro.”
Person 2: “You don’t get it!.”
If having a gorgeous family wasn’t enough, he is also the…
#3 Best player in the world
Cristiano Ronaldo might win the Ballon d’Or this year for lifting the UEFA Euro 2016 with Portugal and the Champions League with Real Madrid, while also scoring a gazillion goals in the process, but it won’t change the fact that La Pulga is the greatest player of our generation.
This fact doesn’t sit down well with many, especially rival fans. He scores goals as easily as people taking offense these days. When someone scores like that, people are bound to be offended.
And they are not just any kind of simple tap-in goals, he scores some genuinely wonderful goals that make people wonder whether Switzerland is really the most beautiful place on earth, instead of Lionel Messi’s left foot.
#4 His fans
This is one of the more genuine reasons why the man is hated by some. The magnitude of the former Argentina captain is so great that even the smallest of his achievements is blown out of proportions by some of his fans.
Some of his ardent fans often forget that there is a world apart from the diminutive Argentine. For them, the earth doesn’t rotate around the Sun. Instead, the Sun rotates around Lionel Messi.
It is this blind worship that makes the others feel a little awkward. From this, an irrational dislike is born, which goes on to become hate.
Messi fan 1: “Did you ever notice how beautifully Lionel Messi breathes?”
Messi fan 2: “Totally! He is the greatest breather of all time!”
#5 Confused love for Cristiano Ronaldo
And we will conclude our slideshow with this point. The debate of this era has been Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. It will never stop, not even after 100 years have passed. Our grandchildren will be telling stories about these two to their grandchildren. And since there is enough video evidence – thanks to the development of technology in modern times – for them to research from, the debate will never end.
Cristiano Ronaldo fanboys are so devoted to their idol that rationality goes out of the window when the aforementioned debate rises. For them, Lionel Messi is a midget and a tax fraud who gets biased love from the high-ranked FIFA officials. Apparently, according to some of them, playing for Barca while having a baby-face helps with PR rating with the high-rankers.
Hence, whatever Messi has achieved is the direct result of sycophantism, which makes the Portuguese’s achievement superior to the Argentine’s.
Messi fan: “Messi is a 5-time Ballon d’Or winner.”
Cristiano fanboy/fangirl: “Of course. I would have also had the same amount had I been rubbing shoulders with high-ranked FIFA officials day-in-day-out.”
