Messi to Corinthians? What's going on?!
Corinthians fans were briefly greeted by a transfer announcement that seemed too extraordinary to be true.
Details: On October 31, the Brazilian club's official website published what appeared to be an official statement announcing the signing of Lionel Messi for the 2027 season. However, the sensational transfer was completely fake: hackers had gained access to the website and published the announcement without the club's authorization.
The attackers went far beyond a sensational headline. Their fabricated statement described supposed financial arrangements that would make the transfer possible, included an image of Messi wearing Corinthians colors, and even featured invented comments from the Argentine expressing his happiness about joining the Brazilian side.
Once the intrusion was discovered, Corinthians removed the publication and temporarily took both its official website and the Neo Química Arena website offline. The club subsequently confirmed that its IT department had contained the cyberattack. According to Corinthians, no financial losses or compromised data were detected, and both websites have since been restored.
Interestingly, Corinthians were not the only victims. Just days earlier, Brazilian rivals Palmeiras also suffered a cyberattack on their official website. As for Messi, the Argentine remains an Inter Miami player, having signed a contract extension with the MLS club through the end of the 2028 season.
Reminder: Mbappé, Messi and John Cena: Sports superstars who were cancelled in China
Steven Perez
Dailysports's expert
