The world most expensive player

Lionel Messi is the world's most expensive
player with a value of £163million

According to CIES Football Observatory, Lionel
Messi is the world's most expensive player with a
tag of £163million while his Barceloba teammate,
Neymar is close on his heels at £155million.
Predictably, C Ronaldo is not too far behind in third
place at £106million while Antoine Griezmann and
Tottenham striker Harry Kane make up the top five
on the hundred-strong list.
The values of the players are based on several
different variables including age, length of current
contract and potential suitors. All 100 players in the
list are employed by clubs in Europe's top five
leagues - Premier League, La Liga, Serie A,
Bundesliga and Ligue 1.
The likes of Wayne Rooney and Zlatan Ibrahimovic
do not feature on the list because of their age at 30
and 34 respectively. See the full list below
CIES FOOTBALL OBSERVATORY'S VALUATION ON
TOP 100 PLAYERS
1. Lionel Messi (Barcelona) - £163m
2. Neymar (Barcelona) - £155m
3. Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid) - £106m
4. Antoine Griezmann (Atletico Madrid) - £93m
5. Harry Kane (Tottenham) - £87m
6. Anthony Martial (Man United) - £86m
7. Luis Suarez (Barcelona) - £81m
8. Paulo Dybala (Juventus) - £80m
9. Sergio Aguero (Man City) - £75m
10. Paul Pogba (Juventus) - £70m
11. Gareth Bale (Real Madrid) - £62m
12. Eden Hazard (Chelsea) - £60m
13. Alexis Sanchez (Arsenal) - £58m
14. Dele Alli (Tottenham) - £58m
15. Thomas Muller (Bayern) - £57m
16. Raheem Sterling (Man City) - £56m
17. Robert Lewandowski (Bayern) - £52m
18. Alvaro Morata (Juventus) - £50m
19. Toni Kroos (Real Madrid) - £48m
20. Gonzalo Higuain (Napoli) - £47m
21. Isco (Real Madrid) - £47m
22. P.E Aubameyang (Dortmund) - £48m
23. James Rodriguez (Real Madrid) - £45m
24. Romelu Lukaku (Everton) - £45m
25. Hector Bellerin (Arsenal) - £43m
26. Kevin De Bruyne (Man City) - £43m
27. Philippe Coutinho (Liverpool) - £40m
28. Yannick Carrasco (Atletico Madrid) - £39m
29. Willian (Chelsea) - £39m
30. Koke (Atletico Madrid) - £39m
31. Mauro Icardi (Inter Milan) - £38m
32. Diego Costa (Chelsea) - £38m
33. Mesut Ozil (Arsenal) - £38m
34. David Alaba (Bayern) - £38m
35. Thibaut Courtois (Chelsea) - £37m
36. Eric Dier (Tottenham) - £37m
37. Karim Benzema (Real Madrid) - £37m
38. Sergio Busquets (Barcelona) - £37m
39. Raphael Varane (Real Madrid) - £36m
40. Christian Eriksen (Tottenham) - £36m
41. David de Gea (Man United) - £36m
42. Cesc Fabregas (Chelsea) - £35m
43. Nicolas Otamendi (Man City) - £35m
44. N'Golo Kante (Leicester) - £34m
45. Douglas Costa (Bayern) - £34m
46. Memphis Depay (Man United) - £34m
47. Riyad Mahrez (Leicester) - £33m
48. Pedro (Chelsea) - £33m
49. Lucas Moura (PSG) - £33m
50. Jerome Boateng (Bayern) - £33m
51. Saul Niguez (Atletico Madrid) - £32m
52. Alexandre Lacazette (Lyon) - £32m
53. Andre Gomes (Valencia) - £32m
54. Olivier Giroud (Arsenal) - £32m
55. Jan Oblak (Atletico Madrid) - £31m
56. Virgil van Dijk (Southampton) - £31m
57. Daley Blind (Man United) - £31m
58. Ross Barkley (Everton) - £31m
59. Emre Can (Liverpool) - £30m
60. Ivan Rakitic (Barcelona) - £30m
61. Marco Verratti (PSG) - £30m
62. Mohamed Salah (Roma) - £30m
63. Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus) - £30m
64. John Stones (Everton) - £29m
65. Roberto Firmino (Liverpool) - £29m
66. Aaron Ramsey (Arsenal) - £29m
67. Erik Lamela (Tottenham) - £29m
68. Nemanja Matic (Chelsea) - £29m
69. Oscar (Chelsea) - £29m
70. Juan Mata (Man United) - £28m
71. Giannelli Imbula (Stoke) - £28m
72. Manuel Neuer (Bayern) - £28m
73. Angel di Maria (PSG) - £27m
74. Sadio Mane (Southampton) - £27m
75. Carlos Bacca (AC Milan) - £27m
76. Son Heung-min (Tottenham) - £27m
77. Felipe Anderson (Lazio) - £27m
78. Jamie Vardy (Leicester) - £27m
79. Denis Suarez (Villarreal) - £27m
80. Dimitri Payet (West Ham) - £26m
81. Leroy Sane (Schalke) - £26m
82. Marquinhos (PSG) - £26m
83. Henrikh Mkhitaryan (Dortmund) - £26m
84. Chris Smalling (Man United) - £25m
85. Radja Nainggolan (Roma) - £25m
86. Julian Brandt (Bayer Leverkusen) - £25m
87. Wilfried Zaha (Crystal Palace) - £25m
88. Bernardo Silva (Monaco) - £24m
89. Kostas Manolas (Roma) - £24m
90. Gerard Pique (Barcelona) - £24m
91. Paco Alcacer (Valencia) - £24m
92. Miralem Pjanic (Roma) - £24m
93. Danilo (Real Madrid) - £24m
94. Alessandro Florenzi (Roma) - £24m
95. Jordon Ibe (Liverpool) - £23m
96. Marco Reus (Dortmund) - £23m
97. David Silva (Manchester City) - £23m
98. Joe Hart (Manchester City) - £23m
99. Marcelo (Real Madrid) - £23m
100. Jonathan Tah (Bayer Leverkusen) - £22m
All values are rounded to the nearest million.

Figures courtesy of Football Observatory.

Two brothers arrested for fake currency

Photos: RRS nabs two brothers in possession
of fake currency

Operatives of Rapid Response Squad (RRS) of
Lagos State Police Command, today, arrested two
blood brothers allegedly in connection with the
possession of 80 pieces of fake N1000. The
suspects who are from the same parents, Ifeanyi
Ihesiaba and Hope Ihesiaba, were apprehended on
a tip-off from the owner of a business centre
(name withheld) at Magodo/Isheri area of Lagos,
where one of the suspects, Ifeanyi, went to buy a
recharge card of N200 with a fake One Thousand
Naira note.
According to the shop operator, “It was around
6:35 pm. I was inside my shop when I saw this
young man came in to demand for Two hundred
Naira of recharge card. I stood up immediately to
attend to him. I demanded for the money before I
could give him the recharge card he asked for.
Suspiciously, I deeply looked at the money, and I
discovered that it was a fake denomination of One
thousand Naira…. Then, I pretended as if I was still
looking for the recharge card and balance of N800
Naira, and I used the back door to go out. I looked
around for the Police, and luckily for me, I saw
RRS operatives who were on patrol routine around
the axis. I explained to them, and they instantly
followed me to my shop which led to his arrest.”
Upon his arrival at the RRS’ Headquarters in
Alausa, the suspect made a confessional
statement, saying that his brother, Hope Ihesiaba,
who just arrived to Lagos from South-Eastern part
of the Country, gave him the money. “I will not
deny the fact that the monies are fake. But I
thought I could spend them around the area. I
have made a greatest mistake of my life”, he
noted.
However, his confessional statement helped the
Police to track his brother to brothel where he was
arrested after hidden for two days. While
interrogating his brother, he said that he never
knew it was a criminal offence to be in possession
of fake currency.
"When I noticed that my brother has been
apprehended where he went to spend the money, I
had to take to my heels. I went to hide in a brothel
around Berger area. But at a point, I realised that
blood is thicker than water, and more so, my
brother is innocent. So, when he pretended that he
was released on bail, I decided to show face in
order to apologise to him… I don't know he was
deceiving me so that I can come out from my
shell. I went back home after two days,
unknowingly, Police had surrounded everywhere,
and I got arrested".
Explaining how he got the fake currency, the
suspect said “I bought the currency from one guy
simply identified as Odi in Aba. I exchanged 80
pieces of fake one thousand naira for N28,000.
There is a popular relaxation spot in Aba, called
Boropit opposite Ariara Market. At this place, there
are many people dealing with this fake currency."
The suspected criminal said that he relocated to
Lagos last November after his laundry shop in
Rumuola Road in Port-Harcourt was demolished
by the State Government.
"When all I had laboured for in my life has been
destroyed by the government, I had to relocate to
Lagos to start a new life. At the moment, I am
managing with my brother in his apartment. I was
looking for capital to start -up my laundry
business, but help was not forthcoming. Then, I
decided to go to Aba to buy the fake currency, so I
can be spending it here and collecting balances in
each one thousand naira. I think by this means, I
can begin new life".
He went further, “When I got back to Lagos with 80
pieces of fake one thousand naira, I shared it into
two; I gave my brother 40 pieces and also took 40
pieces of fake currency. It was one of the fake
money I gave my brother that he wanted to spend
to buy to a recharge card where he was arrested."
The RRS operatives further made frantic efforts to
recover all other fake currency in their
possession, by searching their three-bedroom flat
residence, at No 2B Oluwakemi Street, Ojodu-
Abiodun, where another 77 pieces of fake one
thousand were recovered. His girlfriend, Ndubuisi
Ijeoma, and another suspect, Simeone Joseph,
were also arrested.
In his words, Simeon Joseph, who denied having
knowledge of the fake currency found on the
suspect, said that he was only putting up with him
pending the time he will get his own
accommodation. “I am into music production and
learning hair dressing from one Mrs. Orji who had
recently travelled out of the country. I knew the
suspect about ten years ago…. I am just trying
may be I will be managing with him in his shop
because he is also a hair-stylist. And since my
boss had travelled out of the country, I wish I
continue learning the work. This is why I decided
to put up with him in his house in Ojodu. Apart
from hair dressing work, I did not know that the
suspect is dealing with fake currency.”
He continued: “I did not know anything about the
one thousand naira denomination found on him
and subsequent search of his house where
another fake currency was recovered. I know it is
criminal offence to be in possession or spend of
fake currency.
One of the suspect’s girlfriends, Ndubuisi Ijeoma,
confessed that all the fake currency found in her
wardrobe all belonged to his boyfriend, Ifeanyi
Ihesiaba.
“The Policemen conducted a search in my room
and they found two laptops, DSTV Walka, and my
phones. The laptops belonged to my boyfriend and
his friend. The fake currency found under my
clothes was kept there by the suspect, which I
knew nothing about. I don’t know anything about
the fake currency, but was recovered under my
clothes in my room,” Ijeoma added.
Other items recovered from the suspects are two
laptops, a cutlass, sledge hammer and a sum of
Seventeen Thousand Naira.
Confirming the arrest, the state Police'
Spokesperson, Superintendent of Police, SP
Dolapo Badmus, implored people to critically look
at any currency denomination exchanging with
them for business transaction. The suspects have
been transferred to State Criminal Investigation

Department (SCID) for prosecution.

Fire outbreak

Photos: Fire Outbreak at Lagos Annex of the
National Assembly

There was a fire outbreak this afternoon at the
Lagos National Assembly Annex, located at
Tafawa Balewa Square. Firefighters however
arrived on the scene and handled the blaze before
it spread to other buildings. See more photos from
the scene after the cut....

Messi in court

"I didn't know or read anything, all I know
about is playing football"- Lionel Messi defends
himself at court trial

Lionel Messi insisted to the Judge in a Barcelona
court that he knew nothing about evading €4m in
tax from image rights as he was only focused on
football and trusted his father and lawyers to
handle the financial aspect of his career.
The Barcelona FC Star is being tried in court for
tax evasion totaling €4million and together with his
father, Jorge Horacio Messi, declined to take
questions from the state prosecutors but gave
testimony in the court in Barcelona claiming
ignorance of his tax affairs, the same defense
strategy he used in 2013 while in court for tax
evasion.
He and his father Jorge stand accused of
defrauding Spain of over €4million in taxes by
using offshore companies in Uruguay and Belize to
conceal image rights earnings in the period
2007-2009.
"I didn't know anything, all I know about is
playing football and winning. I left it all to
my Dad," Messi said, wearing a dark suit
and tie. I only knew that sponsors would
pay X amount of money, that I had to do
adverts, photos and things like that.''
continued Messi, according to quotes
gotten by Mirror Sports.
"I never read anything... I would sign where
[the lawyers] said. I signed [the adidas
contract] when I was 18, I was in another
world."
Jorge Messi, had earlier said he didn't realise the
Belize company that managed image rights deals
didn't pay taxes in Spain, and that he never
informed his son, Messi of the details of
sponsorship deals saying all he's ever wanted to
do was to make Messi's life easier..
"Since the start of Leo's career I only tried
to make his life easier," he said. Leo knew
nothing of these companies. He didn't read
the contracts. They needed his signature,
he went and signed but he didn't read
anything and nor did anyone explain it to

him."

Euro 2016 stadium to be used..

For the first time since the 1998 World Cup, France
will host its first major tournament when Euro 2016
kicks off on June 10 and the country has picked
its finest pitches for the occasion. The French will
be hoping history repeats itself and France
emerges victorious on home soil just like in 1998.
More photos after the cut.

Living in Lekki/Island is not the definition of
success- Music producer, ID Cabasa, says in his
tweets to Artiste
ID Cabasa who is famous for producing songs for
the likes of Ruggedman, Olamide and others, today
tweeted some stuff to music artists. In his tweets,
he advised artists to be careful about what they
sign with their managers/labels. According to him,
living in Lekki or the Island is not the definition of
success. See the tweets after the cut...