Soccer Players With Criminal Secrets
Footballers are the worst when it comes to the law. Not only does it seem like they have no sense of humbleness, but they also do things that will definitely end them up behind bars. These are the top 20 soccer players that have ended up in jail.
Lionel Messi
Lionel Messi is one of the greatest soccer/footballers to ever go out and play the game. However, this FC Barcelona and Argentinian player wound himself up in some serious hot water. He also was convicted off a crime that even Emma Watson was also apart of.
Don't Let Him Do Your Taxes
Lionel Messi was recently found out and is now being put on trial for tax fraud in Spain. The soccer player and his father were found out for using off shore accounts to defraud Spain of over 5$ million US dollars. The father of the player was actually the one committing the crime, however Messi will still be charged.
Neymar Jr.
Now this sort of crime is the one that will definitely cost you. Neymar Jr is one of the best players for FC Barcelona and is now an Olympic medalist while playing for Brazil. However, no matter what or how famous you are, it seems that when it comes to taxes, the government will find you.
Don't Ever Let Anyone Who Plays For FC Barcelona Do Your Taxes
Like his teammate Lionel Messi, Neymar Jr was convicted of tax fraud for failing to report earnings for different contracts and endorsements that he was earning. The total some of his money that he was going to have to pay would be over $51.74 million dollars to the Brazilian government.
René Higuita
This Colombian player was one of the greatest during the 1990's. However, he ended up getting in some trouble during the 1990's for being involved with some very bad people. It wasn't that he just knew some guys, he was directly involved with some of the drug trade.
He Was A Drug Lord
Higuita was a go between for Drug lord Luis Carlos Molina and was directly involved in a kidnap for a ransom. As a show of gratitude for being involved with the drug lords, the Molina family gave the player over $64,000. This kidnapping was the reason that he was charged and went to jail for only seven months.
Tony Adams
Tony Adams was one of Arsenal's best during is peak, however he soon figured out that he couldn't just get away with everything. However, even though he had a string of league titles under his belt, Tony Adams was arrested in the year of 1990 for simply getting into a car crash.
He Wrecked His Car
Tony Adams was arrested in 1990 for crashing his car into a wall near his house. However, that wasn't the only problem and law that this player broke. Adams was driving while his blood level was more than 25 more times over the legal limit. Slow down and don't drink and drive.
Gary Croft
This former Ipswich player was prone to getting in trouble and for ending up in the big house. Even after he was canned from this team, he was later let go after playing for Cardiff City, but was also fired from the club. He just simply couldn't get his life and his things together.
He's A Drinker
While playing, this guy actually had to wear an alcohol electric device during one of the games because of his alcoholic tendencies. Not only was he fond of the liquor, but he was also arrested for getting behind the wheel when he was way too wasted.
Charles N'Zogbia
This guy could not be more stupid. N'Zogbia is a French player who last played for the club Aston Villa. However, the 30 year old is now trying to revive his career by playing and practicing with the Sunderland team. He is actually hoping to bounce back after humiliating himself getting arrested.
He Faked His Driver's Test
N'Zogbia was actually one of the silliest people to ever try to attempt to take his driving test. The player showed up to the practical part of the test, but paid someone else to take the theory part of the test. He received a smaller conviction, but was spared of the maximum sentence which is five years behind bars.
Marlon King
Marlon King is now a retired player that made his living being one of the best strikers for the club Birmingham City. However, with his conviction and sentencing, it would make it really hard to continue to play football or even try to come back.
He's A Jail Regular
This guy is completely used to being behind bars. Some of his crimes include; driving without insurance, driving without real papers, and the worst one being sexual assault with bodily harm. However, this guy is currently finishing up an 18 month stint in the slammer for stealing and possession of stolen goods.
Jan Mølby
This player definitely left a legacy on the people of England, most notably Liverpool. Jan Mølby played for Liverpool and other teams from 1982 to the year of 1998. The player also made the transition from player to manager, but also had some stints with the boys in blue.
He's Not A Good Driver
During the time that Liverpool was in line for the title, Jan Mølby actually had to take a break from the team to spend three months behind bars. The player was arrested for reckless driving, and most people believe that since he was such a high profile player, the government wanted to make an example out of him.
Duncan Ferguson
"Big Dunc," as he is known has a big history with the police, and not in a good way. Duncan Ferguson is a former Scottish footballer and was also called, "Duncan Disorderly." The player was signed to Dundee United, Rangers, Everton, and finally Newcastle United before he retired in 2006.
He Used His Head
Heading the ball or using your head for the game is somewhat impressive, but using it to hit someone is just plain silly. The player was sentenced to jail for headbutting another player whilst at the Glasgow Rangers. He only served the 44 days of his three month conviction.
Michael Kinsella
Michael Kinsella was one of the most promising new players, but his career was untimely cut short. Kinsella was at one point signed up to the Tranmere Rovers and even to Liverpool to play for a really big club. However, he made the horrible decision of giving in to trying to make a lot of money.
He Was A Drug Dealer And Got Caught
Michael Kinsella threw away his career when he decided to go to a club and deal drugs. This is where the police first caught him for intent to sell, but this player was part of a bigger plan. Kinsella was actually caught up in drug smuggling to different points and was charged with six years for his involvement.
Matty Pattison
Matty Pattison is one of the players from South Africa and is also extremely talented. He is one of the players that was chosen for the South African national team, but he is currently a midfielder for the club team Bidvest Wits. However, it looked like all of this was going to be thrown away.
He Drove In His Undies
After a night out, Pattison didn't want to upset his managers by being late to practice. The player got in his car in only his shirt and his underwear, however police pulled him over for being a reckless and careless driver. Not only is this incredibly embarrassing, but he ended up getting charged with 20 months of banned driving.
Vinnie Jones
Vinnie Jones used to be one of the players in England that everyone thought of as a bad boy. However, this former Wimbledon and Chelsea player is now one of the most popular actors in England today, even appearing in films like X-Men: The Last Stand.
He Got Hands-y On A Plane
This gangster actor forgot that in real life, you actually get in trouble for being the bad boy. Jones was on a plane and threatened a passenger saying that he could kill them and have someone kill them. When the flight crew tried to intervene, he ended up threatening the same threats at the crew. His outburst got him a slight fine, and he also had to do community service.
Graham Rix
Graham Rix is a former English player that was incredibly popular, but also talented. The former player for England is now a coach for the team and club A.F.C. Porchester. However, even though he is now in a position of power, doesn't mean he's been acting like a role model.
He's Just Plain Gross
Graham Rix was one of the best players during his time, however he was also imprisoned for only a year back in 1999. His crime was actually that he had intimate relations with a young girl who was only 15 years old at the time. He was at least a decade over her.
Peter Storey
This guy is a former England international player, but he also a convicted criminal. He was able to play as a full back, but also as a defensive mid fielder, proving that he was able to play really anything on the field. He had a reputation for being the "hatchet man," back in the 1960's and 1970's.
He Did Everything
This guy literally has done so many things to go to jail. Not only has he been convicted of producing counterfeit money, but he has also tried to make a brothel with three women in order to try to raise money to jump his bail. For all of these convictions, he actually only served three years behind bars.
Diego Maradona
This guy was the Lionel Messi of the 1980's and 1990's. Diego Maradona was a prominent player for Argentine professional footballer and he also served as the manager and coach for other teams in South America. He was also the coach for the national team of Argentina.
He Was Made Of Controversy
This guy was one of the players that got caught way too up in the life and style of being a professional footballer. Maradona went to jail for two years because he got angry and shot a journalist with an air pellet gun. Not only did he shoot someone, but he was also on a plethora of drugs while doing it.
Bobby Moore
Robert Frederick Chelsea Bobby Moore was an English footballer and was also one of the greatest. This player played for West Ham and was their captain for more than ten years. He was also the captain and main player of the English national team when they won the world cup in 1966.
Everyone Though He Was A Good Guy
Everyone believed that Bobby Moore was one of the good guys, however in 1970 that just wasn't the case. He was actually involved in a case in South Africa that suggested that he had stolen jewelry, which almost kicked him out of the world cup. However, British intervention meant that he wasn't automatically sent to jail.
Dai Thomas
David John Dai Thomas is a Welsh former professional player and first made history by playing for the Wales under 21 league. However, his professional career actually ended when he became involved in a fight. He actually joined the hooligans this time.
He Was The Worst Hooligan
The worst part about all of this was that this player truly believed that he could get away with the crime. After being deported from Belgium to England, this player actually was revealed to have been apart of the fight on television. He wasn't charged with a criminal offense this time, but he was REALLY shamed.
Lee Hughes
Lee Hughes is a British footballer and an English professional national league North side Worcester City as a striker. This guy used to be one of the most promising players, however his run in with the law truly put a damper on him becoming a national treasure.
He Crashed His Benz
Lee Hughes was partying one night and actually crashed his Mercedes-Benz into another vehicle, and left the scene. The player actually left the scene of the crime before he realized that he had actually caused a fatality. For this death, Hughes received six years in jail, but ten years of banned driving.
Glen Johnson
Glen McLeod Cooper Johnson is an English footballer, who currently plays as a right back for Stoke City has had his problems with the law. He is also one of the players for the national English team, proving that you can make mistakes and still get big money.
Bathroom Crime
Glen Johnson and Ben May were caught in a bathroom trying to steal bathroom appliances. They were caught by a 74 year old security guard, however they were really caught when they tried to hop out of some tabs that they racked up at a bar. They were both fined for their want to steal, instead of just buy their own bathroom products.
Ian Wright
Ian Wright is a British professional football player that has now turned into a radio and television personality. He played for both the London clubs of Crystal Palace and Arsenal. However, this 52 year old big personality and loud mouthed player found his trouble with the law.
He Wasn't Paying The Queen
This player wasn't just loved by his fans, he was actually adored. However, when it came to his taxes, he either wasn't paying them on time, or simply not paying them at all. Due to the fact that he wasn't paying his taxes or his insurance, he ended up spending two weeks in the slammer.
