Do we like Lionel Messi?
Our score: 7 out of 10. Nothing harmful in his own words turned up, and years of charity work, but there's a tax conviction, a Saudi tourism deal and a messy 2026 to weigh.
Messi is about as big as football gets, and these days he's playing out his career in Miami. He has said he's happy there and that the decision to extend with Inter Miami was easy. He's also a man who rarely gets political, which matters for a page like ours.
The big stain is the taxman. In 2016 a Barcelona court convicted Messi and his father on three counts of defrauding Spain's tax office of 4.1 million euros. They got suspended 21-month sentences, and Messi was fined 2 million euros. He and his father denied wrongdoing, and he said he didn't know about the tax arrangements. That's a real mark, but it's a single financial case from years ago, not a pattern of mistreating people.
On the harm test, we found nothing from him against LGBTQ+ people, women or the planet. He's actually been on the receiving end: in January 2025 fans of Club América chanted a homophobic slur at him, and he answered by smiling and holding up three fingers for Argentina's three World Cups. The asterisk is Saudi Arabia. He has been the face of the Visit Saudi campaign, reportedly worth around $40 million, and the wider Saudi signing spree has been called sportswashing by Amnesty's researcher. His response to that criticism isn't reported.
The recent stuff is messier. A Miami promoter, Vid Music Group, sued Messi and the Argentine federation, alleging fraud and breach of contract after he watched an October 2025 friendly from a suite instead of playing. The suit also alleges he conspired to induce the promoter into the contracts under false pretences. We found no response from him or the AFA, and no ruling.
Then there's the World Cup. After the final, critics in Spain accused him of appearing to push for a red card against an opponent and of showing little concern after the ball hit another player. Campaigners argue that runs against the fair play the Asturias award is meant to honour, though the foundation hasn't commented. It's petition-level outrage rather than anything official, so weigh it accordingly.
The good stuff is real. He's been a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador since 2010, and his foundation gave 200,000 euros to UNICEF projects in Kenya in 2019. In 2020 he reportedly gave a million euros to health services during the pandemic and led Barcelona's players in a pay cut to protect other staff. That's a long record of looking after people beyond the pitch.