Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo may be enjoying the high from his hat-trick against Spain yesterday but things aren’t all hunky-dory with the 33-year-old. Ronaldo was accused last year of tax fraud of up to €14.8m but he denies these charges. The El Mundo newspaper had reported that the Real Madrid star had offered to pay €14m in June 2017 but this had been rejected by the government.

Now, the BBC reports that the footballer has agreed to accept a €18.8m (£16.4m) fine and a suspended jail term to settle tax evasion charges, according to reports. The deal is apparently still a verbal one at this point but under the current terms, Ronaldo is not likely to spend any time in prison as Spanish law stipulates that a two-year sentence for a first offence can be served on probation.

The BBC further reports that Ronaldo has been accused by Spain’s tax agency of trying to hide money linked to image rights made between 2011 and 2014. However, the footballer denied these claims and we are still awaiting comments on the latest reports from his agency.

Another renowned footballer, Lionel Messi had also been given a 21-month prison sentence last year regarding similar charges but he had paid a fine instead, in keeping with Spanish law.