Cristiano Ronaldo has been accused by the Spanish government of of evading 14.7 million worth of taxes. The Real Madrid Forward has not allegedly not paid a certain number of taxes for 6 years being in Spain. He is set to move clubs this summer but if found guilty he could possibly be sent to prison for 5 years. This would be a devastating blow to football as Ronaldo has been described as the best player in the world. Although there is much anxiety over this I believe Ronaldo’s chances of going to jail are extremely slim.
Status
Ronaldo is renowned as possibly the best player ever. He makes 32 million Euros a year so he can afford the best legal team in all of Europe. In the past Both Messi and Neymar, two other of the world’s top players have also been charged with tax fraud and are still playing for their club F.C. Barcelona and not in jail. If those two are able to avoid jail time then the world’s greatest player, Ronaldo should as well.
Spain’s Legal System
In Spain, for most first time offenses with tax fraud, the sentence can be served outside of jail. This means that Ronaldo, if found guilty, will be able to continue to play football just like Messi and Neymar are doing. Even though Ronaldo faces up to five years in prison he can most likely get a lighter sentence via his legal team’s help.
Ronaldo is undoubtably one of the greatest athletes in the world and the best footballer at the moment. He has won 4 Ballon D’or’s, and has millions worth of brand deals. It is inexcusable for a person make so much money to be a little bit short on their taxes. All of these footballers who make millions are always trying give the government the run around when it really does not make a difference to them at all. When you are making that much you should not have to worry about taxes.
