Football star Ronaldo facing tax evasion case

Real Madrid and Portugal footballer Cristiano Ronaldo is being pursued by Spanish tax authorities over the alleged evasion of millions of euros in unpaid taxes.

Prosecutors in the Spanish capital have filed a lawsuit against Ronaldo, accusing him of cheating the tax system to the tune of €14.7m (£12.95m).

Ronaldo played a starring role in Los Blancos’ second consecutive Champions League victory last week, but now follows symbolic rival Lionel Messi in being investigated for his tax behaviour.

The case is in relation to the four-time Ballon D’Or winner’s income in Spain between 2011 and 2014, with prosecutors alleging that Ronaldo took advantage of the so-called “Beckham Law”.

The law came about as a result of a case brought against former England footballer David Beckham, which allowed foreign sportspersons to pay a lower percentage of tax than the 48% charged to the highest-earning individuals in Spain.

According to the prosecutors, Ronaldo created a “business structure” in order to benefit from paying less taxes for income related to rights images, and was a “conscious” and “willing” participant in the fraud.

Last month Barcelona star Messi had a jail sentence for similar behaviour upheld, but will not serve any time in prison due to a Spanish law which dictates that sentences of less than two years can be served under probation.