Cristiano Ronaldo and Xabi Alonso appear in court for tax fraud in Spain

Football superstar Cristiano Ronaldo has arrived in Madrid today to face a tribunal on accusations of tax fraud. The Portuguese player is expected to plead guilty to tax fraud, after accepting a settlement which includes a 23-month jail sentence and a fine of 5.7 million euros plus interest, which is part of an overall settlement worth 18.8 million euros. The settlement could be particularly favourable for Ronaldo since, in Spain, convicts are not usually sent to jail for sentences under two years, especially for non-violent crimes such as this. In 2017, Ronaldo was accused of four counts of tax evasion between 2011 and 2014 by a Spanish prosecutor who claimed the football player hid 14.7 million euros in shell companies outside Spain. The accusations, though, did not relate to the salary Ronaldo received from Real Madrid after transferring from Manchester United back in 2009. The current Juventus forward, who joined the Italian team in a 100 million euro deal with Real Madrid last year and now earns a salary of around 30 million euros a year, is not the only football superstar who is facing the Madrid tribunal today. Former Real Madrid central midfielder Xabi Alonso is also on trial for tax fraud and should appear in front of the tribunal just after Ronaldo. Alonso, though, is not known to have reached a settlement with Spanish authorities, since he claims to be innocent. If found guilty, Alonso could be sentenced to up to five years in prison.