Lionel Messi likened to idol Che Guevara after accepting 70% pay cut amid COVID-19 crisis

The coronavirus pandemic has seen sporting action all across the globe cancelled as a precautionary measure to control the spread of the deadly virus at a community level. Countries like Spain, Italy, the UK have suffered massively at the hands of the coronavirus pandemic, while many countries have been forced into a 'COVID-19 lockdown'. Amidst all the crisis, Barcelona star Lionel Messi, the world's highest-paid footballer in the world, announced that he will take a 70% wage cut. The decision was met with adulation and praise from fans and media across the globe, with many comparing his decision to Argentine Marxist revolutionary Che Guevara. 

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Barcelona legend Lionel Messi agrees to 70% wage cut amidst coronavirus pandemic

In an Instagram post, Barcelona star Lionel Messi announced that the Argentine forward will be taking a massive 70% cut amidst the COVID-19 lockdown. The news comes in after an ongoing feud between players and the board after the players refused to agree to a wage cut. Lionel Messi slammed the Barcelona board for putting pressure on the players to take a wage cut. The wage cut will ensure that the club staff will get paid during the coronavirus pandemic and Messi further announced the players will be donating and helping more to ensure the situation is under control. Lionel Messi's statement was followed by an official Barcelona statement, confirming the extra financial gesture made by the first-team players.

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Lionel Messi likened to Argentine revolutionary Che Guevara

Lionel Messi's statement was met with admiration from fans and media all across the globe. Spanish newspaper Marca's front page changed the No 10 on Messi's back to 70% amid the wage cuts, while L'Equipe produced a striking front page likening Lionel Messi to his countryman, the Marxist revolutionary Che Guevara. Interestingly, Lionel Messi has in the past expressed his adulation for Che Guevara in an interview with the magazine La Garganta Poderosa in 2011. Messi had said that he was thrilled to see Che Guevara and Maradona t-shirts or flags anywhere in the world and it gave him a 'very good feeling.'

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