Barcelona Legend Lionel Messi handed 21 months prison sentence [Best Tweets]

Barcelona’s Lionel Messi and his father Jorge have been found guilty of ‘tax fraud’ and have received a 21-month prison sentence.

According to SkySports, the Court of Catalonia has found that Barcelona’s Lionel Messi and his father Jorge have been deemed guilty on three counts of tax fraud. However, the verdict can be appealed through the Spanish Supreme court. The court has also ordered Lionel to pay a fine of £1.7 million and his father too, has been charged £1.27 million.

BARCELONA, SPAIN - JUNE 02: Lionel Messi of FC Barcelona and his father Jorge Horacio Messi seen inside the court during the third day of the trial on June 2, 2016 in Barcelona, Spain. Lionel Messi and his father Jorge Messi, who manages his financial affairs, are accused of defrauding the Spanish Tax Agency of 4.1 million Euros ($4.6 million, £3.2 million) by using companies based in tax havens such as Belize and Uruguay to conceal earnings from image rights during years 2007 to 2009. (Photo by Alberto Estevez - Pool/Getty Images)
BARCELONA, SPAIN – JUNE 02: Lionel Messi of FC Barcelona and his father Jorge Horacio Messi seen inside the court during the third day of the trial on June 2, 2016 in Barcelona, Spain. Lionel Messi and his father Jorge Messi, who manages his financial affairs, are accused of defrauding the Spanish Tax Agency of 4.1 million Euros ($4.6 million, £3.2 million) by using companies based in tax havens such as Belize and Uruguay to conceal earnings from image rights during years 2007 to 2009. (Photo by Alberto Estevez – Pool/Getty Images)

On the 3rd of June, during another hearing, prosecutors had come to the conclusion that Lionel Messi’s father was the person responsible for evasion of taxes of around £3.17 million, during 2007-09.

Despite being handed a sentence, the father-son duo could avoid facing time behind bars. The Barcelona player does not have any prior criminal record, and in Spain, sentences under the duration of 2 years can be served on probation – meaning neither Messi nor his father will have to be imprisoned.

It didn’t take too long for the football fans around the world to get wind of the news and all of them took to Twitter to react, and needless to say, Cristiano Ronaldo featured heavily and so did a puppy.

Paddy Power just weren’t letting this go..

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