Madrid demand 'maximum respect' for Ronaldo

Real Madrid have issued a statement calling for the "exemplary" Cristiano Ronaldo to be respected amid reports of widespread tax evasion in Spanish football.

A coordinated leak of confidential information by a consortium of 12 European newspapers is set to cast the spotlight on the affairs of numerous high-profile players in LaLiga and elsewhere.

Gestifute, the company operated by Ronaldo's agent Jorge Mendes, insisted last week the Portuguese star is fully compliant with all obligations relating to taxation.

And Madrid have now added their voice to the denials of any wrongdoing on the part of the 31-year-old superstar. 

A statement released on the club website read: "Following the information published in the last few days and having seen the certificate published by the Tax Agency, through which it is confirmed that our player, Cristiano Ronaldo, is aware of all his tax obligations, Real Madrid demands the maximum respect for a player such as Cristiano Ronaldo, whose conduct has been absolutely exemplary during the whole of his career at our club."

Madrid host Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League on Wednesday.