Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo will accept a two-year suspended prison sentence for tax fraud at a court appearance in January, according to Spanish media.
The Juventus and Portugal star is accused of defrauding Spanish tax authorities out of €14.8million (£13.3million).
According to AS the 33-year-old forward will be formally found guilty at a hearing on January 14 but will not actually serve any prison time.
The reported deal with the Spanish Treasury is set to end a long-running legal saga dating to when Ronaldo played for Real Madrid.
Ronaldo, often regarded as the ‘best player in the world’, originally denied the charges when they were brought against him last summer.
But the striker reportedly admitted a total of four tax offences earlier this year after prosecutors agreed to reduce the amount he was required to pay back.
He is said to have returned €13.4million into Spanish government coffers earlier this year but must still go through the process of his court appearance.
His lawyer may reportedly try to reduce his sentence further from a suspended two years to a fine of €375,000.
The 33-year-old left Real Madrid last summer after nine years, joining Italian champions Juventus.
While in Spain he became Real Madrid’s highest ever goalscorer, netting 451 times after joining from Manchester United for a then-record £80million in 2009.
He helped Real win three consecutive Champions League titles in 2016, 2017 and 2018.
Ronaldo is also Portugal’s most-capped player, with 154 appearances, and record goalscorer, with 85.
