Argentine soccer star Lionel Messi turns 28 on June 24, 2015.
VINA DEL MAR, June 24 (Xinhua) -- When Lionel Messi was celebrating his 28th birthday, some people were fighting for whether the Argentine soccer protagonist had been improperly protected.
The world's top footballer turned 28 Wednesday as newspaper La Nacion posted a picture of him sitting beside a birthday cake.
It was the very newspaper that reported that Ireland players were allegedly paid 10,000 U.S. dollars each to prevent injuring Lionel Messi during a 2010 friendly in Dublin. The report does not assert whether any payment was received by the Irish players.
According to the Guardian report, La Nacion alleges that the friendly was suggested by Julio Grondona, who was head of the Argentine FA at the time and a close ally of Sepp Blatter, but when the AFA was unable to stump up a 5 million dollars insurance fee for Messi, Grondona suggested making the payment to the Irish players.
The report angered the Football Association of Ireland who furiously denied and is taking legal advice.
While others were fighting over the entangled matter, Messi focuses on the quarterfinal fixture against Colombia in Copa America.
As La Nacion put it, Leo "blew out the candles at the end of the day in Vina del Mar where the team will be against Colombia tomorrow."
