Cristiano Ronaldo guilty of tax evasion

Juventus’ world-class forward Cristiano Ronaldo has recently appeared in court facing tax evasion charges. The superstar, and third richest athlete in the world according to Forbes, had to accept a £16.6 million fine.

The court appearance has come amongst a rich vein of form for Ronaldo, who has just secured his first piece of Italian silverware, lifting the Italian Super Cup and scoring the only goal in the 1-0 victory over struggling AC Milan.

On the pitch, it seems Ronaldo is his usual self, firing on all cylinders. However, the Portuguese icon has been grabbing the back-page headlines for all the wrong reasons as of late. This tax evasion case, amid a pre-existing rape allegation, is an added spotlight being pointed away from Ronaldo’s performances on the pitch and towards his more personal affairs.

Some of the biggest names in Spanish football are currently facing a number of tax evasion cases. Xavi Alonso could face up to 5 years jail time for supposed events when he was at Real Madrid. Other huge names including Lionel Messi, Neymar and Marcelo have all also been caught up in the Spanish legal system in the not so distant past.

With Ronaldo taking a pay cut to earn just over £26 million a year after tax at his new club, it makes one wonder the necessity for using the “Beckham law” at Real Madrid to avoid taxes.

Inflation in footballers price tags has seen an almost exponential rise in the last few seasons, giving an emphasis to the importance of the player’s wages in transfers.

Aaron Ramsey’s move to join Ronaldo at Juventus on a free transfer raised a few eyebrows to say the least. However, the Welshman, who is undergoing a medical, has been able to secure a larger salary at the Turin giants due to the lack of a transfer fee.

It is evident that there is no shortage of money in modern football, and clearly some of the game’s top players are hesitant to part with their six-figure weekly salaries.