Lionel Messi's Brother, Matias, Reportedly Arrested for Illegal Gun Possession

Lionel Messi’s brother, Matias, was reportedly arrested after local police found him in possession of an illegal firearm.  

According to Cadena 3 (h/t Marca), the Barcelona star’s sibling was stopped by police south of the Messi family’s hometown of Rosario on Saturday and “initially resisted” the authorities’ attempts to search his vehicle. When the police did search the Audi A5, it’s reported an unlicensed .22-calibre gun was found. 

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Gerard Couzens of the Daily Mirror elaborated on how the incident allegedly panned out, citing “local reports” which claimed Matias tussled with the police: “Local reports said he tried to throw the keys to his car into a friend’s home near the search point. Matias is said to have suffered a cut to an eyebrow and two officers were reportedly taken to hospital with foot and knee injuries.”

The reports note Matias was held for four hours, and an investigation has been launched into his possession of the firearm.

It’s not the first time Messi’s sibling has endured a run-in with police. In 2008, he was arrested after being spotted carrying a gun in a holster, per Marca.

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For the Barcelona man, the news adds to what have been a turbulent few months. On the pitch, Messi picked up an injury on Sept. 26 against Las Palmas and was subsequently ruled out for eight weeks. Messi is also reportedly suing newspaper El Mundo after claims were made about his charity being involved in tax fraud, per Cadena Cope (h/t Sport).