Ronaldo handed two-year suspended prison sentence

A similar situation occurred involving another high-profile soccer player, Lionel Messi, who was convicted of tax fraud with his father, Jorge Horacio Messi, totaling $4.5 million, the Associated Press reported.

The Real Madrid superstar was accused by Spanish prosecutors in June past year of defrauding tax authorities of €14.8m (£12.9m). Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo is still one of the world’s top players but faces a tough test against a Spain squad that is one of the top favorites to win this year’s World Cup.

Ronaldo will pay a $21.7 million fine after he was convicted of tax fraud.

The Spaniards’ preparations for the World Cup have been rocked by the sudden dismissal of Julen Lopetegui this week following his appointment as the new Real Madrid boss. Courts in Spain have begun a crackdown on leading footballers suspected of tax evasion.

They also accuse him of “voluntarily” refusing to include 28.4m euro ($33.6m) in income linked to the sale of his image rights for the 2015 to 2020 period to a Spanish company.

But prison sentences shorter than two years in Spain are often suspended for first-time offenders.

Spain twice came back from a goal down and took a 3-2 lead in the second half only to have Cristiano Ronaldo equalize on a free kick in the 88th minute with his third goal of the game. He made history by accomplishing the feat, becoming the oldest player in the world to do so.

He ended up scoring all three goals for his team, which tied Spain.

Ronaldo was aptly named the Man of the Match. Instead, he spoke about how proud he was of his team.

Costa had tangled with opposing defender Pepe in the build-up to the goal, which was the first at a World Cup to be given after consultation with the video assistant referee (VAR).

“I’m very happy”, Ronaldo said. “In the end, I think it was a fair result”.