Cristiano Ronaldo Insists He's Innocent of Committing Tax Fraud During Court Appearance

Real Madrid and Portugal star Cristiano Ronaldo had his day in court on Monday, having gotten on the end of a recent tax fraud charge.

The forward, though, has continued to protest his innocence, denying the evasion of €14.7m in taxes. And Monday was no different, as he claimed to be an open book when it comes to such matters.

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"The Spanish tax authorities know my income in detail, because we have given it to them. I have never hidden anything in my declarations, nor have I had the smallest intention of evading taxes," Ronaldo said, via Reuters.

"I always make my declarations voluntarily, because I think we all have to declare and pay tax in accordance to our incomes. Those who know me know what I ask my advisors: that they take their time on it and pay correctly, because I don't want problems."

The player also insisted that he did not create a special structure to manage his image rights following his move to Madrid from Manchester United in 2009.

Ronaldo is just one of several footballers to face such scrutiny by Spanish authorities. Barcelona stars Lionel Messi and Neymar have been hit with similar accusations.

Messi was handed a 21-month prison sentence earlier this year, but will face no actual jail time as such sentences could be handled by way of payments under Spanish law, especially for first-time offenders.