10 Things Lionel Messi Wants You To Forget About
2. The 'Messi & Friends' Series Of Charity Games
Like many of the world€™s biggest stars, Messi does his fair share for charity. He is a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF, has his own charity set up in his name, as well as making numerous other appearances and donations the world over. Yet it€™s the €˜Messi and friends€™ series of charity games that casts doubts on the veracity of these charitable endeavours.
Like many of the world€™s biggest stars, Messi does his fair share for charity. He is a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF, has his own charity set up in his name, as well as making numerous other appearances and donations the world over. Yet it€™s the €˜Messi and friends€™ series of charity games that casts doubts on the veracity of these charitable endeavours.
Germany€™s Der Spiegel claimed this year that they have evidence that Robert Lewandowski was offered ‚180,000 to participate in a €˜Messi and friends vs the rest of the world€™ charity game back in 2013. Lewandowski declined the offer, but plenty of other pros happily took part, presumably handsomely recompensed in spite of the game€™s supposed charitable nature.
Der Spiegel doesn€™t stop there, however. They claim that of the $7.9m generated for charity, only $300,000 went to Messi's foundation. The rest appears unaccounted for, leading to suggestions the series of games were conducted primarily to line the pockets of footballers and agents alike.
1. His Use Of Human Growth Hormones
Ok ok, this is hardly the biggest skeleton rattling away in Lionel Messi€™s cupboard. The star€™s HGH past is well documented, after all, subsequently framed as an inspiring triumph against adversity. For those unfamiliar, Messi was born with a growth hormone disorder. At the time of diagnosis, Messi stood at 4€™2€. He is now listed as 5€™7€, which would€™ve been impossible were it not for the HGH treatment paid for by Barcelona.
The controversy comes from the misuse of HGH as a performance enhancing drug. HGH is listed as a banned substance by most sporting organisations, including FIFA, and although Messi€™s treatment probably ended long before he made his professional debut, the damage caused by high profile drugs cheats means detractors can use Messi€™s own HGH past as a reason to discredit his achievements. All of which sounds incredibly unfair, especially as Messi had a genuine medical reason for his treatment. But Messi and his representatives rarely answer questions on the star€™s HGH-past, suggesting it€™s something they would like the public to forget about.
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