Cristiano Ronaldo: Is the Real Madrid forward set to leave Spain?

Ronaldo has scaled the summit of the game with Madrid, but is he now set to leave?

 

Cristiano Ronaldo signed a new five-year deal with Real Madrid in November that helped him become the best-paid athlete in the world.

But now a source close to the player now says he "doesn't want to stay in Spain" because he is "upset" after being accused of tax fraud in the country.
Ronaldo, 32, joined Madrid from Manchester United for a then world-record £80m in 2009.
The Portugal legend has scored a club-record 406 goals in his 394 appearances for Real.
Only two weeks ago, he helped Zinedine Zidane's side win a 12th European Cup with two goals in a 4-1 victory over Juventus in the Champions League final in Cardiff.
Will that turn out to be his last appearance for Los Merengues? Where could he go? And what would Madrid do without him?

June 2016: Ronaldo's Euro 2016 campaign did not start well - 20 shots, zero goals for Portugal. But a superb, flicked finish against Hungary in the group stages made him the first player to score in four different European Championship finals

'If his mind's made up, it'll hard to change'

Ramon Calderon, Real Madrid president between 2006-2009, speaking to BBC Radio 5 live
Maybe he's just upset. Maybe it is something he said in a moment when he's really angry. We don't know yet. He's been happy here, he helped us to win three Champions Leagues over the past four years, so I hope he will stay.
But, if he's made his mind up, I don't think it's going to be easy to change. He's very strong-minded and clear in what he wants. If he leaves I don't see him in a place like China or the Middle East. He will be always playing for a big club and trying to get more titles and more personal awards.
He's a fighter and he's in good shape. He can play again for the best club and I think that club now is Real Madrid. I can't tell you what he's doing but I hope he will stay, I'm sure he'll stay.

'His people called all the Spanish papers'

Richard Martin, sports correspondent in Spain for Reuters
This is not the first time Cristiano Ronaldo has sought to demonstrate his power at Real Madrid by flirting with leaving. In 2012 he used a pitch-side interview to declare "I'm sad and the club know why," provoking panic among fans and at boardroom level.
This latest move, using a newspaper from his own country to declare his discontent, feels remarkably similar. It should also be noted that sources close to Ronaldo called the offices of all Spanish newspapers last night to inform them of the impending front cover story in A Bola.