European court okays Messi to trademark his name

A European court has ruled that Lionel Messi, the world's top earning footballer, can trademark his own name.

The Barcelona and Argentina striker fought a seven-year fight to be able to use his name on sports goods.

His original application was challenged by the Spanish cycling brand, Massi, which argued that the names were too similar and would cause confusion.

But the EU's General Court ruled that the footballer was too well known for confusion to arise, reports BBC.

The ruling comes days after France Football magazine reported Mr Messi had overtaken Cristiano Ronaldo as the highest earner in football, with an income of €126 million (£108 million).

Mr Ronaldo is making €94 million, the magazine said.