Cristiano Ronaldo aims ‘to be quiet’ over €14.7m tax fraud allegations

Cristiano Ronaldo has said “sometimes the best answer is to be quiet” in the wake of allegations he defrauded the Spanish tax office of €14.7m.

The Portugal captain has been accused by Madrid’s regional state prosecutor of four counts of tax fraud relating to image rights payments.

Ronaldo’s representatives have denied the allegations while the 32-year-old’s club side, Spanish and European champions Real Madrid, have also thrown their support behind the superstar forward and backed him to prove his innocence.

The four-time Ballon d’Or winner spoke briefly when quizzed on the subject by reporters following a training session with Portugal on Wednesday, saying he had a “clear conscience”.

And Ronaldo issued another short message on social media on Thursday.

Accompanying a photo of himself holding a finger to his lips, Ronaldo said on Instagram: “Sometimes the best answer it’s to be quiet.”

Madrid’s state prosecutor alleged Ronaldo used an off-shore company to hide a portion of his income from the tax office.

However, a statement from Ronaldo’s management company Gestifute insisted the company, Tollin, which was established during Ronaldo’s time with Manchester United – from whom he moved to Real Madrid in 2009 – has acted in accordance with British and Spanish tax laws.

Ronaldo is currently on international duty with Portugal preparing for the Confederations Cup in Russia, which begins on Saturday.