Barça star Lionel Messi and his father appear before the court

Lionel Messi is testifying this Thursday in front of the judge at the national courts, where he arrived at just after 10.15am amidst great anticipation, with 150 journalists and 100 bystanders present.

The Argentine and his father, accused of alleged tax fraud, received words of encouragement from the majority of those outside, although there was also the odd shout against him. One man shouted "Go and play in Panama!"

Once the hearing began, Messi did not change his serious but calm appearance. While the experts confirmed the details of the accusations, both Messi and his father were visibly relaxed. The Barça No.10 only moved when he was brought a bottle of water. As the minutes passed, and as he waited his turn to testify, Messi could be seen to become more and more tired of hearing about a subject which did not interest him. Despite sitting alongside his father, Leo and Jorge did not speak to each other at any point.

Only the experts spoke for the first 40 minutes of the hearing, they explained the Messi company structures, which are supposedly fraudulent. "They were companies formed to cover the fraud that took place. Nothing more", they claimed.