Marcelo - Real's vice-captain sentenced to prison; Kante called a "fraud" by the whole of France

"There is only one answer to your question: all the players who went to the World Cup kept their numbers, those who came here. At the moment, the number 10 belongs to Messi and it will be like that until he decides whether to continue his journey with us or not," Scaloni said on September 11.

Argentina coach confirmed that he will reserve the number 10 shirt for Messi until he decides to leave the team. Photo:AP.

Lionel Scaloni was appointed as interim coach after the Argentine Football Association sacked Jorge Sampaoli. Since then, Scaloni has faced constant questions regarding Lionel Messi's future with the national team.

Messi was absent when Argentina defeated Guatemala 3-0 in California on September 7 and is likely to continue to miss the friendly against Colombia.

"Obviously, the fact that the best player in the world is not here is a loss for us. But our idea is to create a team where he can feel comfortable when he returns...", Scaloni said.

Kante is called a "cheater" by the whole of France

N'Golo Kante is currently the most beloved player in the world because of his talent and personality on and off the pitch. However, he is called "the cheater" by the whole of France. And this nickname all started from... card games.

Kante had a memorable year playing excellently for Chelsea and exploded at the 2018 World Cup when France won the tournament. After the match against Argentina, his teammates composed a song dedicated to the midfielder.

N'Golo Kante / He's small / He's cute / He stopped Leo Messi / But we all know he's a cheater / N'Golo Kante.

The song then spread throughout France. According to Paul Pogba, the reason they called Kante a "cheater" was because they thought the Chelsea midfielder often cheated in... card games.

Kante later clarified: "I didn't cheat. I'm a competitive person and it was just a bad rap. The song went viral after the World Cup. But it was an unforgettable moment and it was great."

In a recent interview, Kante revealed that he once thought about giving up football to become an... accountant when he could not play in the top league.

Marcelo followed in the footsteps of Jose Mourinho and Alexis Sanchez, bowing his head and pleading guilty to tax evasion in the face of undeniable evidence from Spanish prosecutors. According to the newspaperWorld Deportivo, the total amount the Brazilian defender must pay to Spanish tax authorities is $870,000, including interest.

The Real Madrid vice-captain was sentenced to four months in prison. However, like Lionel Messi, Neymar and Cristiano Ronaldo, his sentence was suspended due to an economic penalty and his prison term will not exceed two years.

Marcelo is the latest player to be fined for tax evasion while playing in Spain. Photo:Reuters.

World Deportivoadded that the period of Marcelo's tax evasion was between 2011 and 2012. The former Fluminense player tried to avoid paying taxes on image rights, totaling $576,000, but failed.

Unlike Ronaldo and Mourinho, Marcelo chose to remain silent when he was accused of tax evasion. When the case was exposed, Julen Lopetegui's student showed a sincere attitude, and wanted to negotiate to resolve the case.

Marcelo's negotiations went smoothly. The 30-year-old star was fined only 40% of the total amount of money he was accused of tax evasion. According to the Catalonia-based daily, Marcelo admitted to transferring image rights to a Uruguayan company called 'Birsen Trade SA'.