Lionel Messi Willing to Pay $14.5M as a ‘Returning the Favor’ Gesture to Support His Former Teammate Ronaldinho’s Reduced Sentence in Paraguay ‎

After the rumors about Lionel Messi generously spending 13 million euros to “rescue” Ronaldinho from a Paraguayan prison, the Barcelona superstar’s lawyer has spoken out to clarify the matter.

Previously, after Ronaldinho and his brother were arrested and imprisoned in Paraguay for using fake passports, some Spanish newspapers reported that Messi had secretly spent 4 million euros to support legal issues (hiring 4 top lawyers), bail, and 9 million euros to help the Brazilian star pay off his debts. Messi was a former teammate of Ronaldinho when the 39-year-old Brazilian star spent his glorious years at FC Barcelona from 2003 to 2008.

Messi is angry about spending 13 million euros to "save" Ronaldinho from Paraguayan prison - Photo 1.

Messi and Ronaldinho were good friends when they played for Barcelona. SCREENSHOT

In addition to being good friends on and off the pitch, the Argentine superstar once considered Ronaldinho one of his idols. Messi was seen as Ronaldinho’s successor at Barcelona after the Brazilian football legend left the Nou Camp team. These are the reasons that led to the news that Messi helped the Brazilian legend escape prison.

Messi chi 4 triệu euro giúp đỡ Ronaldinho trong tù - Báo Khánh Hòa điện tử

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The above information has attracted great attention from the public, and many netizens have even praised Messi for his friendship. However, the generosity of the superstar who plays for FC Barcelona still needs to be verified.In response to the above rumors, Marca newspaper has approached Messi’s lawyer to clarify the matter. The newspaper said that the Argentine star striker was very upset about the idea that he planned to pay money to help Ronaldinho escape from prison in Paraguay.“Messi is very sad about Ronaldinho’s incident, but he has not made any economic or judicial moves to help the Brazilian footballer get out of prison. He has not assigned his lawyer to assist in the case and will not pay the 4 million euro bail,” Marca quoted Messi’s lawyer as saying.

Messi is angry about spending 13 million euros to "save" Ronaldinho from Paraguayan prison - Photo 2.

Ronaldinho (right) interacts with fellow prisoners in Paraguay.

However, some Spanish newspapers still believe that Messi is still secretly helping Ronaldinho to the extent possible. Currently, the case of Ronaldinho and his brother using fake passports and ID cards to enter Paraguay on March 4 is still under investigation. In particular, Paraguayan press reported that 15 people have been arrested and prosecuted, including many officials related to the issue of passport issuance and immigration. Ronaldinho and his brother were previously detained (possibly for up to 6 months) since March 6 at the Paraguayan National Police prison located on the outskirts of the capital, Asuncion.