This archive report was first published on 10 October 2019.
On Wednesday, former Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso appeared in a Madrid court to face charges of tax fraud worth two million euros.
According to a court spokesman, Alonso, 37, was questioned over allegations that he used a company based on the Portuguese island of Madeira to avoid paying taxes on his image rights to the Spanish authorities.
Prosecutors claim that Alonso, a former Spain international, committed the alleged fraud between 2010 and 2012 while playing for Real Madrid.
They are seeking a fine of 4.0 million euros ($4.4 million) for Alonso, his tax advisor Ivan Zaldua, and the Portuguese company manager Ignasi Maestre, as well as the outstanding tax with interest.
The investigation was initially opened in 2015 but was shelved, only to be reopened in 2017 after a court found the allegations against Alonso were "sufficiently substantiated".
Alonso, who retired from playing in 2017 after a stint at Bayern Munich, is one of several high-profile footballers to face scrutiny by the Spanish tax authorities over the declaration of income from image rights.
Some footballers have admitted to fraud as part of a deal to avoid jail time, including Atletico Madrid striker Diego Costa and Barcelona's Gerard Pique.
