The Barcelona and Argentina football star Lionel Messi goes on trial on Tuesday, in Barcelona, on charges of defrauding Spain of €4.1m (£3m) in unpaid taxes..
Messi’s trial has however,  attracted several controversial statements and shocking revelations including  the article made public on Monday by the El Periodico daily  newspaper .
The newspaper revealed just a day before the commencement of Messi’s trial that  he (Messi)  had told a Judge in September 2013 , that he does not read documents before signing them.
Messi and his father, Jorge Horacio Messi, who manages his financial affairs,  were been dragged before the court for alleged  tax fraud  in Belize and Uruguay.  They are also accused of concealing  €10.1m earned in image rights from 2007 to 2009.
According to the alleged statement published by the Barcelona daily, the judge showed Messi several sponsorship contracts that he signed, but he did not remember them.
The trial is expected to last three days, with Messi scheduled to give testimony on Thursday.Â
The five-time winner of the Fifa Ballon d’Or, Messi has insisted all that he has no knowledge of his financial dealings. His father has backed this up, saying: that the only thing his  son does is play football.
According to Forbes magazine, a glance at the summary of his earnings for 2015 would reveal that he earned $74m (£51m) , $52m as a player and $22m in endorsements.
Reports revealed that he has already paid €5m to the tax agency and a further €10m to regularise his situation for 2010 and 2011. As prosecutors are pushing for 22 months and 15 days sentence, it is very unlikely that Messi would go to prison considering the fact that the sentence demanded  is less than two years and he has no criminal record.
