Ronaldo due in court over tax evasion claims

Football megastar Cristiano Ronaldo appears in court near Madrid on Monday accused of evading millions of euros in taxes, the latest player to fall foul of Spain's taxman.

The 32-year-old will be questioned by a court in Pozuelo de Alarcon, a wealthy suburb of Madrid where he lives, after returning from a summer break with his girlfriend and relatives and a promotion trip to China.

The Portuguese star — the world's highest paid athlete according to Forbes magazine — follows in the steps of his



arch-rival, Barcelona forward and Argentina star Lionel Messi, who was found guilty of the same offence last year.

Other footballers have also recently run into trouble with Spain's taxman, some of them already convicted and others under investigation.

Prosecutors accuse Ronaldo of having evaded €14.7 million ($17.3 million) in tax.

They allege he took "advantage of a company structure created in 2010 to hide income generated in Spain from his image rights from tax authorities".