Cristiano Ronaldo has undergone a change of
heart over his future and has decided to remain at Real Madrid, according to
reports in Spain.
Madrid president Florentino Perez admitted
Ronaldo was left ‘angry and hurt’ after accusations from the Spanish
authorities that he had evaded £12.9million in tax. Ronaldo informed the club
that he would leave if he was convicted of tax fraud and even held a secret
meeting with Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi, just hours
before scoring twice in the Champions League final win over Juventus. But AS
report that Ronaldo has now chosen to stay at Madrid, having been convinced by
the club’s hierarchy that he remains crucial to their future plans. Despite an
upcoming court appearance on July 31 over the tax accusations, the outlet
report that Ronaldo’s representatives have persuaded him that it’s in his best
interests to continue at the Bernabeu. AS’s Sunday edition front page shows the
32-year-old using a flyboard while on holiday, accompanied by the headline
‘Ronaldo is relaxing.’ Perez previously suggested he would talk with the player
after he returned from the Confederations Cup and asserted that he was
confident he would stay.
The president has repeatedly come out in Ronaldo’s
defence since the allegations and said it was unacceptable that his star man
was being ‘treated like a criminal’. Ronaldo flew back to Madrid in time to be
with his newborn twins, who were born via a surrogate mother, after Portugal
were knocked out in the semi-finals by Chile. Though Madrid’s squad will report
for pre-season training on Monday, Ronaldo will be given extra time off to
recover and is not expected to return until late July.
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