Tuesday 13 June 2017 23:32, UK
Real Madrid great Cristiano Ronaldo has denied, via his representatives, ever hiding any income from the taxman or committing any tax fraud in Spain.
The denial was released on Tuesday evening, hours after a tax fraud lawsuit had been filed against the 32-year-old in Madrid.
Gestifute, the agency representing Ronaldo, said in a statement: "There is no tax evasion scheme.
"There has never been any hiding nor any intention to hide anything."
The prosecutor's office in Madrid has filed a suit against Ronaldo for allegedly defrauding Spanish tax authorities of 14.7m euros (£13m) between 2011 and 2014.
It will now be up to a judge to decide if there are grounds to take the matter to court.
A four-time Ballon d'Or winner, the 32-year-old Ronaldo is fresh from securing a second consecutive Champions League title with Real Madrid, who also claimed a first Spanish League crown in five seasons.
However, Ronaldo is also the latest high-profile footballer to have his tax affairs challenged by the Spanish authorities.
Last year, Barcelona forward Lionel Messi and his father, Jorge Horacio Messi, were found guilty on three counts of defrauding tax authorities of 4.1m euros (£3.6m) from income made from image rights, and given 21-month jail sentences.
Neither Messi, however, is expected to serve prison time, since it was a first offence.
