Lionel Messi’s brother Matias sentenced for illegal gun possession

Argentina and Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi’s brother has been sentenced for the possession of an illegal firearm in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Matias was slapped with a two and a half year prison sentence, which he does not have to serve. He will, however, have to perform community service, according to an Argentinian newspaper, La Capital. A deal was apparently struck after negotiations with the local prosecutors proved to be successful.

Matias had crashed a bloodstained boat in the Parana river last year, inside which the gun was found. According to the 35-year-old’s attorney though, Matias claimed the gun was not his and that he had only crashed the boat into a sidebank. He was initially placed under arrest but later released as he recovered from a broken jaw and other minor injuries in a hospital in Argentina.

This is not the first time Matias has had a run-in with the law. He had also been arrested in May for threatening a civilian with a gun in the aftermath of a car crash. He was also caught in possession of a firearm in 2015 and held for 16 hours in a jail cell. Meanwhile, 10 years ago, Matias was arrested for carrying a loaded gun in his belt.

Outside his love for guns and trysts with law enforcement, Matias, along with his mother, plays a major role in maintaining and running the Leo Messi foundation which aims at providing education and healthcare for underprivileged children. He is the second oldest of the three Messi brothers and has an extremely close relationship with the Barcelona forward. One can only hope that these dark days are behind him once and for all.