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Cape Town - Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi could face up to six years in jail following allegations of tax fraud.
According to Time magazine, the Argentine and his father allegedly owe up to $5.3million in unpaid taxes to Spain.
Messi, who is one of the highest paid football players in the world, could be in serious financial trouble and, if convicted, could find himself being imprisoned for six years and facing up to $32million in fines.
The super striker would, however, not be the only professional footballer to see jail time. Here are a few of football's favourite bad boys who too have spent some time behind bars.
10. Joey Barton was convicted in 2008 for 77 days after driving his car into a pedestrian in Liverpool, AND again for four months after causing actual bodily harm to Manchester City teammate at the time Ousmane Dabo.
9. Duncan Ferguson saw time following his headbutt of Raith Rover's player John McStay.
8. Jan Molby missed three months for Liverpool during the 1988/1989 season after he was convicted for crashing his car outside a Liverpool night club while still drunk.
7. George Best served three months after the Manchester United player was caught driving drunk, assaulting a police officer and failing to answer bail.
6. Peter Swan, one of Sheffield's greatest players, spent four months behind bars after being found guilty of match-fixing.
5. Tony Adams was convicted for four months because the Arsenal player was found to be 27 times over the legal limit after crashing his car while drunk.
4. Rene Higuita was imprisoned for seven months after being found to be involved in the kidnapping of Colombian drug baron Pablo Escobar.
3. Peter Storey, one of Arsenal's finest, was sent to prison for three years in 1980 for financing a scam to forge gold coins, before serving 28 days in 1990 for importing pornographic videos.
2. Lee Hughes was convicted for four years for crashing his car into another and killing the passenger.
1. Nizar Trabelsi was sentenced to ten years in prison in 2003 after being arrested for suspected connections with Al-Qa’ida and found guilty of being part of a planned attack on American soldiers on a Belgian airbase.
According to Time magazine, the Argentine and his father allegedly owe up to $5.3million in unpaid taxes to Spain.
Messi, who is one of the highest paid football players in the world, could be in serious financial trouble and, if convicted, could find himself being imprisoned for six years and facing up to $32million in fines.
The super striker would, however, not be the only professional footballer to see jail time. Here are a few of football's favourite bad boys who too have spent some time behind bars.
10. Joey Barton was convicted in 2008 for 77 days after driving his car into a pedestrian in Liverpool, AND again for four months after causing actual bodily harm to Manchester City teammate at the time Ousmane Dabo.
9. Duncan Ferguson saw time following his headbutt of Raith Rover's player John McStay.
8. Jan Molby missed three months for Liverpool during the 1988/1989 season after he was convicted for crashing his car outside a Liverpool night club while still drunk.
7. George Best served three months after the Manchester United player was caught driving drunk, assaulting a police officer and failing to answer bail.
6. Peter Swan, one of Sheffield's greatest players, spent four months behind bars after being found guilty of match-fixing.
5. Tony Adams was convicted for four months because the Arsenal player was found to be 27 times over the legal limit after crashing his car while drunk.
4. Rene Higuita was imprisoned for seven months after being found to be involved in the kidnapping of Colombian drug baron Pablo Escobar.
3. Peter Storey, one of Arsenal's finest, was sent to prison for three years in 1980 for financing a scam to forge gold coins, before serving 28 days in 1990 for importing pornographic videos.
2. Lee Hughes was convicted for four years for crashing his car into another and killing the passenger.
1. Nizar Trabelsi was sentenced to ten years in prison in 2003 after being arrested for suspected connections with Al-Qa’ida and found guilty of being part of a planned attack on American soldiers on a Belgian airbase.
