The 28-year-old football superstar caused outrage at the weekend when he arrived in Gabon, the former French colony, as a guest of president Ali Bongo.
Wearing Bermuda shorts and a T-shirt, and showing off his new tattoos, Messi was officially laying the foundation stones for a new stadium in the city of Port-Gentil.
But the Barcelona and Argentina striker, who is facing trial for tax fraud in Spain, also helped with the opening of a new Bongo family restaurant, and showed full support for their regime.
'People are outraged about this,' said an opposition source in the country, which is regularly linked with corruption and human rights abuses. 'Messi should do a bit of research into what Bongo represents.'
French media reported that Messi was paid the equivalent of £2.4m for the trip, which he took with his former Barcelona team-mate Deco.
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