Real Madrid and Portugal soccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo has reportedly reached a deal with Spanish tax authorities to "serve" a two-year prison sentence and pay an €18.8 million ($21.8M) fine in a tax evasion case, according to multiple reports. That said, it is highly unlikely Cristiano will serve any jail time because Spanish law states that a sentence of under two years for a first offense can be served on probation.
The 33-year old icon is accused of evading €14.7m in taxes, but he has denied the allegations. Ronaldo is due to play for Portugal on Friday in the much anticipated World Cup match against Spain, which is scheduled to kickoff at 2:00pm ET.
According to Forbes' annual list of the highest paid athletes, Cristiano earned $108 million between his salary and endorsements from June 2017 to June 2018, making him the third highest paid athlete only trailing Argentina's Lionel Messi ($111 million) and retired boxing champ, Floyd Mayweather ($285 million).
Messi received a 21-month prison sentence in 2017 on similar charges but was able to exchange the penalty for a fine under Spanish law.