Following Lionel Messi's recent troubles, the Spanish press have become very hot on the issue of professional footballers and tax.
Today's front page story in a Spanish newspaper concerns both Cristiano Ronaldo and Ireland. Specifically Ireland's tax regime, which is very contentious on the continent and has been for a long time.
The paper asserts that Ronaldo is signing commercial deals - with the likes of Nike and Toyota - through an Irish company. That way he can avail of our much lower corporate tax rate.
The Irish tax on corporates remains lodged at the famous 12.5%. Had he simply used a company in Madrid, the local press report that he'd have to pay 43.5%.
Spanish newspaper El Confidencial this afternoon alleges a relationship between Ronaldo and the Dublin image rights company Multisports Image Management.
The paper published a document which seems to show Ronaldo using this Dublin based company to conclude a deal with a Saudi mobile company called Mobily.
It is a €1.1 million contract between MIM and Mobily. The deal gives the Saudi company access to Ronaldo's image rights for an advertising campaign.
The document also names Andy Quinn, a Dublin accountant who set up the company in 2004 and who remained a director of the company until recently.
