Lionel Messi could be forced to demolish parts of a £10million Ibiza villa amid claims it was developed without planning permission prior to the Argentine star buying it.
Messi, who currently plays for Inter Miami, reportedly bought the property on the Mediterranean island in 2022 from a Swiss businessman.
The 568-square-metre property reportedly includes a basement, annex and swimming pool, along with a spa and cinema room.
According to the Periódico de Ibiza y Formentera, the property in Cala Tarida was not suitable for further development due to it being built on communal rural land.
Planning permission had reportedly been submitted by the previous owner to construct several rooms in the property’s garage.
The Sant Josep City Council confirmed to Periódico de Ibiza y Formentera that it did not grant a final building permit for the rooms or a certificate of occupancy – a document issued by a local government agency certifying it is in a liveable condition.
Lionel Messi could be forced to demolish part of his £10million villa in Ibiza
Messi had reportedly been unaware that rooms had been built at the property without planning permission
Messi had bought the £10million property in 2022 after holidaying in Ibiza in recent years
Messi’s lawyer had reportedly been unaware of the situation when the former Barcelona and PSG star bought the villa.
The Argentine’s lawyer, his real estate investment company Edificio Rostower and its parent company Limecu – represented by his brother Rodrigo Messi have worked to resolve the issue.
His representatives have reportedly been informed the villa can be awarded a certificate of occupancy as long as areas not included in the initial plans are demolished.
Contacts are said to be underway in order to secure certificate to legalise the property.
Messi has reportedly decided to purchase the property after holidaying in Ibiza in recent years.
This included a 2022 holiday with his former Barcelona team-mates Luis Suarez and Cesc Fabregas, as well as their partners.
The villa near Cala Tarida previously been the target of environmental campaigners.
Last year, climate activists released footage showing two members of their group standing outside the front of villa holding a banner that read: ‘Help the Planet – Eat the Rich – Abolish the Police.’
Messi’s villa had been vandalised by environmental activists last year, who had protested the ‘responsibility of the rich’ in the climate crisis
The group had claimed the Argentine’s villa had been an ‘illegal construction’
Campaigners from the group of Futuro Vegetal (Vegetable Future) sprayed the white facade of the building with red and black paint.
In a statement on X, the group said: ‘We inked Messi’s mansion in Ibiza. The mansion is an illegal construction the footballer acquired for the exorbitant sum of EUROS 11 million.’
Futuro Vegetal cited a 2023 Oxfam report that found that the richest one percent of the world’s population generated the same amount of carbon emissions in 2019 as the poorest two thirds of humanity.
This is despite the fact that the most vulnerable communities are the ones suffering the ‘worst consequences’ of this crisis.
