Ronaldo could be stripped of his knighthoods after tax-fraud sentence

Portugal’s President has confirmed that the country could strip Juventus forward Cristiano Ronaldo of his knighthoods after his tax-fraud sentence.

Ronaldo was named Grand Officer of the Order of Prince Henry in January 2014, before being awarded the Grand Cross of the Portuguese Order of Merit after Portugal won Euro 2016.

However, the No 7 was given a two-year prison sentence by a Spanish court and ordered to pay €18.8m for committing tax fraud during his time with Real Madrid.

Despite the sentence later being reduced to a €365,000 fine and a separate €3.2m penalty, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa admitted the 33-year-old risked losing his public honours.

“The law is very simple: it is up to the chancellors of the national orders to see if anything has happened that could lead to the loss of an honour,” Rebelo de Sousa was quoted as saying by AFP.

“We should let those with the legal power to decide to do so and see whether the law applies or not in this case.”

However, Madeira leader Miguel Albuquerque made it clear Ronaldo’s status on the island would remain intact.

“Here in Madeira, Cristiano Ronaldo has always been seen as a good person... He is not a criminal. [His tax-fraud charge was an] interpretation of a tax issue.

“He is the most prestigious Portuguese in the world.”

Ronaldo was born in Madeira and received its highest honour, the Madeira Medal of Merit, in December 2014, while one of its airports are named after him.