“Mr Messi is, in fact, a well-known public figure…”
As the top-earning footballer on the planet, Lionel Messi isn’t exactly strapped for cash. A hefty wage packet, several eye-wateringly big sponsorship deals: the Barcelona star probably has quite enough in the bank.
However, just in case the 30-year-old was losing any sleep over being able to put food on the table, a ruling made by a European court this week should come as welcome news.
Messi has been fighting a seven-year case to be able to use his own name on sports goods. This came as a result of Spanish cycling brand, Massi, challenging his original trademark application on the grounds that the names were too similar and would cause confusion.
However, the EU’s General Court ruled Messi was too well known for any confusion to arise, giving him the green light to finally trademark his name.
“The football player’s fame counteracts the visual and phonetic similarities,” the court said on Thursday.
“Mr Messi is, in fact, a well-known public figure who can be seen on television and who is regularly discussed on television or on the radio,” they added.
Glad they’ve cleared that up.
The ruling has been made just days after it was revealed by France Football magazine that Messi had overtaken Cristiano Ronaldo ad the highest earning footballer, with an annual income of around £108m. Ronaldo, meanwhile, has to make do with a mere £82m.
Messi and his Barcelona teammates are on the cusp of sealing the club’s 25th La Liga title. They travel to Deportivo La Coruna on Sunday knowing that a single point will be enough for them to seal their place as champions of Spain.
This follows a disappointing exit from the Champions League, where they were defeated 3-0 in their second leg away to AS Roma. Having won the first leg 4-1 in the Camp Nou, Barca were dumped out on the away goals rule.
