Barcelona Star Lionel Messi Donates Over £64,000 to Charity After Winning Damages in Court Case

Barcelona star Lionel Messi has donated the over £64,000 the charity Doctors Without Borders, after he was awarded the figure by a court from a newspaper deformation case.

The 30-year-old received the payout from Argentinean newspaper La Razón after an opinion piece by the news outlet's Alfonso Ussia was deemed to be have been too "offensive" and "insulting". 

The journalist of the piece had written that the Barca great wore a wig and used performance-enhancing drug Nandrolone when captaining Argentina's World Cup final-losing side in 2014.

Following the 1-0 defeat to Germany in Brazil, Messi who (despite being named player of the tournament) came under intense criticism in his home country for his part in the loss, with the article just one of several disgruntlement-filled viewpoints published. 

However, according to the court, as judged last year, the piece was "unnecessary and impertinent for the exposition of the ideas or opinions that the journalist attempts to transmit in the article". 

The ruling said the article included comments that "are objectively insulting and offensive despite the dimension of the player's public image and the pluralism, tolerance and open spirit which should reign in a modern society".

Jamie McDonald/GettyImages

With the court's decision now being finally ratified, Mundo Deportivo, as cited by The Mirror, have reported that the full £64,690 received by Messi has been donated to Médecins sans Frontières, or in English, Doctors Without Borders. 

The Argentine made the promise when the ruling was announced, and even though the charitable organisation have confirmed they have received the donation, they have refused to comment whilst following their policy on celebrity endorsements.