Barcelona and Argentina superstar Lionel Messi has been sentenced to 21 months in prison for tax evasion by a Catalan court.
He was at the centre of attention a few days ago after his abrupt decision to retire from international football following Argentina’s defeat against Chile in the Copa America Centenario final. And now, he is in the news, yet again.
Messi has also been ordered to pay a fine of US$ 2.2 million. However, the diminutive Argentine will not be spending time behind bars as according to the law in Spain, any person handed out a sentence of less than 2 years need not serve the sentence, until the offence is criminal in nature.
Twitter was the earliest to react to this latest development in what is turning out to be a nightmare few weeks for Messi. Here are some of the funniest tweets:
Some were downright funny
And then, some genius at Paddy Power came up with this. Twitter never ceases to amaze
And of course, Neymar had to be dragged into it
And as usual, there are optimistic people.
Look away now Messi fans
The news got many haters excited. However, that feeling didn’t last long
This one is mean. Period.
When the internet is filled with trolls and memes, this kind user actually offered a sound piece of advice.
Well, Real Madrid fans aren’t too happy now, are they? Knowing that Messi will be playing, as usual.
And this man sums it all up. Sound financial advice too. Leo might appreciate this one.
The internet does not forgive. But, have heart Messi. Your fans are with you.
