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Cristiano Ronaldo - In January 2019 Cristiano Ronaldo admitted tax fraud at a court in Madrid (pictured).  The Juventus forward received a two-year suspended sentence and signed an agreement which will cost him around 19 million euro in fines.

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Cristiano Ronaldo - Accompanied by girlfriend Georgina Rodríguez and smiling and looking relaxed, Ronaldo was in court for around 45 minutes. The footballer's appearance follows his guilty plea and the deal made last year with Spain's state prosecutor and tax authorities.

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Cristiano Ronaldo - In June 2018, Cristiano Ronaldo agreed an €18.8 million (US$22 million) settlement and a two-year suspended jail sentence after reaching a deal with Spanish authorities over a tax evasion case, headlined The Independent.

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Cristiano Ronaldo - Back in March 2018, Ronaldo's legal team made a settlement offer of €3.8 million (approximately US$4.4 million), plus admission of wrongdoing, which was rejected by the country's tax authorities, said Goal, citing reports from Spain.

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Cristiano Ronaldo - The then Real Madrid striker and Portugal international stood accused of four fiscal crimes relating to the taxation of image rights, explained Goal.

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Cristiano Ronaldo - As with Messi's case, the Portuguese avoided jail time because Spanish law states that a sentence of two years and under for a first offence can be served under probation, explained The Independent.

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Cristiano Ronaldo - Accused of evading €14.7 million (around US$16 million), the 33-year-old appeared in a Spanish court in 2017 and denied all the allegations leveled against him.

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Cristiano Ronaldo - But in a deal struck later, the then Real Madrid powerhouse is reported to have pleaded guilty to the offences.

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Cristiano Ronaldo - Ronaldo eventually agreed to pay back the alleged evaded fee of €14.7 million (approx US$16 million), plus additional fines and interest.

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Cristiano Ronaldo - According to Goal, he also agreed to an admission of wrongdoing in the settlement.

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Cristiano Ronaldo - Goal added that the player subsequently hit out at rumors suggesting authorities had rejected his offer of a settlement, describing the comments as "fake news."

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Cristiano Ronaldo - Reports in Spain, reiterated by The Independent, claim that after the sanction is signed off by the Spanish Tax Agency, all criminal and administrative proceedings against Ronaldo will cease.

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Lionel Messi - In July 2016, a Spanish court sentenced Lionel Messi to 21 months in prison for tax fraud. The Argentina and Barcelona soccer player was also fined around €2.1 million (US$2.3 million).

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Lionel Messi - The player appeared with his father Jorge Messi (pictured with his son) who was found guilty of defrauding Spain of €4.1 million (US$4.5 million). Messi Sr. was fined €1.5 million (US$1.7 million) and also received a 21-month prison sentence.

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Lionel Messi - Neither man was jailed. Under Spanish law, prison terms of under two years can be served under probation. In 2013, they made a voluntary €5 million payment equal to the alleged unpaid tax plus interest, noted the BBC.

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Lionel Messi - The case against Messi and his father dates back to 2013, when Spanish prosecutors opened an investigation into whether they had defrauded the state of €4.1 million, reported The New York Times.

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Lionel Messi - It was alleged that offshore tax havens in Belize and Uruguay had been used to conceal earnings from image rights, the BBC reported at the time.

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Lionel Messi - The investigation focused on the player's tax returns filed between 2007 and 2009, The New York Times elaborated.

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Lionel Messi - Messi stated earlier that he was completely uninvolved in the advertising contracts and was unaware of the overall state of his finances, quoted The New York Times.

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Lionel Messi - However, added The New York Times, the court dismissed the player's argument as insufficient to exonerate him from his fiscal responsibility.

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Lionel Messi - The BBC published FC Barcelona's reaction to the court judgement, which essentially supported the player in relation to his conviction for tax fraud.

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Lionel Messi - The club added that it considered Messi, who had corrected his position with the Spanish tax office, was in no way criminally responsible with regards to the facts underlined in the case.

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Neymar Jr - Also in 2016, FC Barcelona agreed to pay a fine of €5.5 million (about US$5.7 million) to settle a tax fraud case over the transfer of Neymar in 2013, headlined The Guardian.

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Neymar Jr. - The Spanish club had been accused of concealing part of Neymar's transfer fee when he moved to Europe from the Brazilian club Santos, The Guardian explained.

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Neymar Jr. - Neymar himself later fell under the fiscal spotlight after Spanish prosecutors requested the Brazilian striker be charged on two counts of fraud and corruption.

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Neymar Jr. - The charges related to his move to Barcelona in the summer of 2013, outlined The Guardian. He ended up testifying in court along with his father and the former and current Barcelona presidents, reported ESPN.

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Neymar Jr. - Earlier, Neymar and his father were ordered by a court in Brazil to pay €100,000 (US$115,000) as a fine for unpaid taxes during 2007-08, noted ESPN.

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Neymar Jr. - In 2015, a Brazil court froze €42 million (US$48 million) in assets over the player's transfer to Barcelona.

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Neymar Jr. - Allegations against Neymar claimed the player evaded 63 million reals in Brazil taxes (almost US$16 million or €14 million) between 2011 and 2013, ESPN reported.

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Neymar Jr. - Furthermore, the player declared assets worth only 19.6 million reals (a little less than US$5 million), according to a statement issued by Judge Carlos Muta and noted by ESPN.

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Neymar Jr. - Elaborating, ESPN reported sources from Correio Braziliense that a court had ordered 150% of the funds be frozen to ensure the payment of interests and fines for the alleged tax evasion.

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