Euromillions winner Colin Weir urged to splash the cash on Lionel Messi for local club side.

[Adster]

Possibly the funniest article I've ever read: http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/news/Euromillions-winner-Colin-Weir-urged-to-splash-the-cash-on-Lionel-Messi-for-local-club-side-Largs-Thistle-article772388.html

Britain’s biggest lottery winners were last night urged to bring the world’s best footballer to Scotland.

Colin Weir, who scooped £161million on Euromillions, is a huge Barcelona fan and could watch their super-striker Lionel Messi back home if he splashed the cash.

As Colin, 64, and wife Chris, 55, went into hiding last night, their local team Largs Thistle appealed for a few quid.

Vice chairman Jim McGinty said: “Colin is a regular supporter and a great bloke. It would be fantastic if he could help us out with a few bob. He could afford to buy us Manchester City’s Carlos Tevez and Barca’s Lionel Messi with plenty to spare.

“At the moment our latest signing is a lad from Hamilton Academicals. Our club is £5,000 in debt, so a new stand would be very nice if Colin could help us. He can have the number one spot in the club car park.”

Thistle President Douglas Bennie said: “All the folk who operate the club are volunteers and any income generated goes toward running it and paying the players.

So we are happy for anyone to get involved.”

The Weirs were not at their three-bed home just a quarter of a mile from the ground in Largs, Ayrshire, last night. They are thought to have gone away with children Jamie, 22, and Carly, 24.

Camelot declined to disclose the Weirs’ whereabouts but they are believed to be in the Highlands talking to advisers on how best to invest their windfall.

Sack loads of begging letters have already started to arrive at their home. The postman said: “There are far more waiting for them in the sorting office.”

The Weirs have also faced a lot of abuse about their weight on internet message boards since their win last Tuesday. Police are now regularly checking their property.

Close relatives yesterday told of their delight for Colin and Chris. Chris’s dad Robert Hartness, of Hamilton, Lanarks, said: “I missed the texts from her saying she was trying to speak to us, so the first we knew was when her and Colin popped up on TV.”

Chris’s sister Alison, 51, who was holidaying at the time, said: “We watched it on the portable in the caravan, then saw Christine walking on. I thought, ‘for goodness sake, my sister’s just won £161million’.”

[Guest Bilo]

I have to say had I won it that I'd probably be doing something similar.

Grassroots football is a bit of a passion for me and I love to see small, local clubs doing well. Popped up to watch Skegness Town once or twice and that ground is an absolute shit tip that is part of the reason they can't get on the non-league pyramid, so I'd love to be able to help them out if I had the ability. Fair play to the bloke if he does it.

All of these requests though will probably make him regret his decision to go public, it sure as hell won't be the last time someone asks him for money.

[Adster]

I have to say had I won it that I'd probably be doing something similar.

Grassroots football is a bit of a passion for me and I love to see small, local clubs doing well. Popped up to watch Skegness Town once or twice and that ground is an absolute shit tip that is part of the reason they can't get on the non-league pyramid, so I'd love to be able to help them out if I had the ability. Fair play to the bloke if he does it.

All of these requests though will probably make him regret his decision to go public, it sure as hell won't be the last time someone asks him for money.

In all fairness, I would to, but not on Lionel Messi or a top top player, I don't think £160 million would even be enough to buy Messi, well they could pay the transfer fee. But the wages? No chance, not for long anyway.

I would of taken to option to not go public, as this is exactly one of the reasons also for it, it wouldn't surprise me if you get people trying to mug you in the street or something along the lines similar to that.

I've had several discussions with people about what I would do with that jackpot. One of those things would of been buy shares in a football club, or donate money to buy a player for a club that I liked. (Probably something along the lines of say, Asamoah Gyan to Leicester, as I love him )

[Bellend Sebastian]

Bit off topic I know, but in these situations, why on earth would you ever go public?

Edit: Oops, Bilo's already pondered that one. I know it would be hard to keep from people that you know, but surely that's easier to deal with than the whole blooming world finding out instantaneously

[Guest Bilo]

What I would probably do is to donate enough money for a local club, probably Skegness Town as they're closest to me, to build a ground that would at least give them the chance to establish themselves at some sort of level. Conference standard ground, enough of a donation for them to build a decent team and that'd be a good way of putting together a decent little club and giving the community something to be proud of.

That said, I'd be very reluctant to go public precisely because of the problems the Weirs are experiencing. You'd be threatened by jealous idiots, be inundated with begging letters and never have any privacy as well as the fact unscrupulous conmen would probably go all out to defraud you of a few million quid.

EDIT: This highlights the need for a new ground at Skeggy. http://ryan147.com/2009/08/16/skegness-town-fc-ground-visit/

[Tevez]

Surely if you went to someone like Richie Wellens (example), right I'll sign you for 3 Million from Leicester and I'll pay you 40 grand a week and play for my amateur football side, i think a good few footballers would do it.. It would be peanuts for someone that's won 161 Million.

[Bayfox]

He's admitted he's going to splash out on Barca............................................................................................................. For a season ticket or hospitality suite, NOT on Messi.

[Head Honcho]

Bit off topic I know, but in these situations, why on earth would you ever go public?

Edit: Oops, Bilo's already pondered that one. I know it would be hard to keep from people that you know, but surely that's easier to deal with than the whole blooming world finding out instantaneously

More to the point who in their right mind would have the audacity to post them a begging letter.

I wouldn't ask a close relative for a bean if they'd won, never mind a stranger.

[Wymsey]

I say pay off any outstanding debts, buy their kids a home (including pay for their furniture, gas bills etc etc) and move away to a country that doesn't tax you as much for almost everything.

[SOCCERROO FOX]

People sending in letters begging is just wrong

[millzi]

I honestly don't know how anybody could have the guts to send a letter to a total stranger begging them for money. Evidently these people don't have any self pride.

I imagine that hospitality suite at Barca costs a good few hundred thousand. Pocket change for them I guess.

They need to be careful though, cause unbelievable as it may sound, I think it could be very very easy to blow a big chunk of that money on stuff they simple don't need. I know they're old so they haven't got the rest of their lives to think about (meaning like another 50 years).

Just imagine winning £161m though, sickening thought.

[Daggers]

The pair of them look just two deep-fried Mars bars from a terminal heart-attack anyway, so my begging letters are all being sent to their kids.

[Nick]

The pair of them look just two deep-fried Mars bars from a terminal heart-attack anyway, so my begging letters are all being sent to their kids.

Please ask for 'actual cash' this time if you're writing to the kids.

[Babylon]

The pair of them look just two deep-fried Mars bars from a terminal heart-attack anyway, so my begging letters are all being sent to their kids.

Their kids aren't exactly the picture of health.

There are several people happier than them at the moment in the local area, the owner of the chinese takeaway, Indian and chippy.

[THFC6061]

How much nicer would it have been if rather than one lucky bugger won £161 million, there were 161 lucky buggers who each won £1 million?

[Itsthejoeker]

Aren't they quite wealthy already?

[Stevosevic]

Don't know why you would go public.

[Bellend Sebastian]

Their kids aren't exactly the picture of health.

There are several people happier than them at the moment in the local area, the owner of the chinese takeaway, Indian and chippy.

It took me far too long to work that one out.

'Unable to work due to health problems' indeed

[Narborough_fox]

Worked it out on a 2% interest rate they get £8,000 + a day.

[Daggers]

Please ask for 'actual cash' this time if you're writing to the kids.

Like it'd be the money I'd be interested in...