Cristiano Ronaldo denies any wrongdoing in tax case

Today, Cristiano Ronaldo appeared in court over his tax issues. He stands accused of defrauding 14.7 million euros by using illegal practices such as shell companies. Cristiano Ronaldo was scheduled to deliver a statement in person to the media, but later he decided to issue a simple written statement.

The Spanish Treasury knows in detail all my income, because we gave it to them. I have never concealed anything, nor did I intend to evade taxes.

I always do my tax returns voluntarily, because I think we all have to declare and pay taxes according to our income. Those who know me, know what I ask my advisors: to have everything up to date and properly paid, because I do not want problems.

It is time to let justice work, I believe in justice. In order to avoid unnecessary pressure or to contribute to a parallel trial, I have decided that I will not make any further statements on this subject until such a decision is made.

Various media outlets reported that Ronaldo was visibly uncomfortable during his appearance in court and they quoted this exchange of words between the judge and Ronaldo, which doesn't make him look good at all.

Ronaldo: “If I wasn’t called Cristiano Ronaldo I wouldn’t be sat here.”

Judge Gómez Ferrer: “You are mistaken. Plenty of anonymous people have sat where you are. You are under investigation for an alleged financial crime based on the evidence provided by the public prosecutor and upon which it is my duty to make a ruling.”

Ronaldo: “No, no. All of this is happening because I am Cristiano Ronaldo.”

(Source La Sexta TV)

It's never a smart thing to antagonize the judge, and Ronaldo just might have done that. Perception matters and you need every single advantage you can get to win cases like this one. Ronaldo certainly can afford the best possible counsel and he should closely pay attention to them and do exactly what they instruct him to do, unless he wants to lose this case.

The general rule of thumb, is the less the client speaks, the better it is. Ronaldo should stick to that.