Xabi Alonso: Former Real Madrid player acquitted of tax fraud
Xabi Alonso has been found not guilty of tax fraud, it was confirmed on Tuesday.
Former Real Madrid, Liverpool and Bayern Munich midfielder Xabi Alonso has been acquitted of tax fraud by a Spanish court.
Alonso was accused of defrauding Spain's tax office of almost 2m euros between 2010 and 2012, when he was at Madrid.
The Prosecutor's Office had called for a two-and-a-half-year prison sentence, but at a ruling on Tuesday, Alonso – who had always denied any wrongdoing – was found not guilty.
Two advisors to Alonso, Iván Zaldua and Ignasi Maestre, were also acquitted.
After Messi and Ronaldo, Alonso the latest footballer involved in tax case in Spain
Several high-profile names have been the subject of separate tax cases in Spain.
In June 2018, former Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo – now with Juventus – accepted a suspended two-year jail term and total fine of 18.8m euros to end a dispute with authorities in relation to the taxation of image rights.
A year earlier, Spain's public prosecutor agreed to substitute a suspended 21-month prison sentence with a fine for Barcelona star Lionel Messi.
Alonso, who began his playing career at Real Sociedad, joined Liverpool in 2004 and spent five years with the Reds, winning a Champions League and FA Cup during his time on Merseyside.
He won another Champions League with Madrid, as well as a LaLiga title and two Copas del Rey before seeing out his career at Bayern where he collected three Bundesliga trophies and a DFB-Pokal medal.