Marcel Desailly is perhaps one of the most decorated and celebrated figures in French football, but reports say he is struggling financially ahead of a court battle to settle a dispute with his ex-partner.
Desailly and Cosma Batista de Alcantara are due to appear in court in Paris on Tuesday as part of an ongoing case to confirm whether he is the biological father of his ex-partner's daughter, Victoria.
French outlet Le Parisien claims that Desailly has refused to acknowledge Victoria as his since 2021, even though he was reportedly ordered to take a paternity test in March.
However, a DNA test has confirmed that he is the father of the child, and as such could be forced to pay alimony of around £4,148 (€5,000) every month to Batista de Alcantara, with whom he dated between 2010 and 2018 was together. .
The only problem is that Desailly is “nearly ruined” financially, according to the same French publication, saying he can't afford the money.
It is claimed that the former Chelsea and AC Milan – who previously earned around £7,100 per month (€8,600) from beIN as a pundit until the end of August – is currently paying back around £4,148 per month to the government as part of a tax adjustment.
He has reportedly been doing this since 2022, after being sanctioned for income tax evasion between 2011 and 2019, and as such pays the compensation monthly to the French tax authorities.
Le Parisien also claims that the 1998 World Cup winner was forced to sell assets to pay child support to his other four children with Virginie Desailly, as well as a fifth child, Aida, who he also refused to recognize as biologically his.
Yet Batista de Alcantara is apparently not convinced about her ex-partner's financial situation, she revealed to Le Parisien.
“Ever since I knew him, he always claimed he didn't have a cent,” she admitted. “The only thing that changed is that I believed him at the time.
“He kept telling me that we were moving to an apartment he owned on the rue de la Paix in Paris, and that we never lived there.”
Le Parisien also claims to have seen 'accounting documents' showing that the legendary former defender has not received dividends from companies based in France or Ghana since 2009.
His lawyer, Francoise Majnoni d'Intignano, reportedly claims that her client is not a “rich footballer and businessman, as Ms. Batista de Alcantara tries to make people believe.”
They added: 'His professional future is very uncertain [having] no prospect of a new contract [with beIN Sports].'
In an interview earlier this year with The Guardian, Desailly revealed how his 'wealth' had been used to help with charity work in Ghana, where he was born, and to set up an 'academy'.
'I'm lucky. “My wealth has allowed me to set up an academy and do a lot of charity work in Ghana to give back,” he told The Guardian.
'And at the same time I remain very close to football. I am involved with FIFA. I am involved with UEFA.
“It's much more useful than being a coach and just looking after one team. I don't know if I was a star, but I'm a legend now. And through the legend I feel that the sun is shining.
According to reports, Desailly met Batista de Alcantara in Paris in 2010 while he was still married to Virginie, and that they would meet “a few more times” before moving in together in an apartment on Rue de la Pompe in Paris.
Batista de Alcantara gave birth to Victoria in March 2014, and she told Le Parisien that her child “doesn't understand why he (Desailly) doesn't call her anymore,” and that “she is suffering, and I am sad for her.” .'
She claims Desailly has sent money for Victoria in the past, although this was reportedly not enough to cover the cost of the child's tuition at a French school in Spain, where she lives.
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