Cristiano Ronaldo accused of €14.7 million tax evasion

The Spanish prosecutor's office in Madrid has filed a lawsuit against Cristiano Ronaldo for allegedly defrauding Spanish authorities of €14.7 million.

The prosecutor's office said in a statement that Ronaldo had knowingly used a "business structure" created in 2010 to hide his income in Spain from his image rights.

The lawsuit is based on a report sent to the prosecutor's office from the Spanish tax agency AEAT, it said.

The Portugal captain penned a five-year deal worth £365,000-a-week after tax last year.

He also has numerous lucrative sponsorship deals with brands such as Nike by whom he has been sponsored since 2003.