The EU's Court of Justice in Luxembourg said in a statement it had authorised the player to register the trademark Messi, dismissing an appeal from the EU's intellectual property office EUIPO and the Spanish company Massi.
The EU property office upheld their complaint in 2013 and while an appeal from Messi the following year was dismissed, an appeal to the EU's General Court in 2018 led to the original ruling being annulled. Messi, 33, has been named the world footballer of the year a record six times and is the all-time top scorer for Barcelona, Argentina and in Spanish football.