LIONEL MESSI CAN FINALLY TRADEMARK HIS SURNAME

Argentinian footballer, Lionel Messi, has won a nine-year-long battle to trademark his surname as a sportswear, footwear and equipment brand.

The European Court of Justice (ECJ), the highest court in Europe, ruled against the Spanish cycling company Massi on Thursday. Massi wanted to stop the 33-year-old footballer from registering his surname as a brand.

The cycling company argued that the spelling between the two names are too similar and potential customers will be confused between the brands.

The BBC reports that the ECJ said that the star player's reputation could be taken into account when weighing up whether the public would be able to tell the difference between the two brands.

Messi, who has won the coveted Ballon d'Or award six times, a record in its own right, is captain of both the national Argentinian team and Spanish club, Barcelona.

The striker caused an uproar in August when he informed FC Barcelona that he wanted to leave at the end of the season. The Sun reports that the footballer believed he had a clause in his contract that would allow him to leave at the end of the season. But the Spanish giants insisted, despite the season playing out until August, that the stipulation had expired and not extended.

Forbes rated Messi as the world's highest paid athlete in 2019.

Watch the Godhuli News video below for more info on the trademark battle.

Image credits: Sky News and Apuntoenlinea