Cristiano Ronaldo rips critics, jokes that his latest award came 'tax-free'

Published Jan. 10, 2017 5:21 p.m. ET

Alex Dowd

Cristiano Ronaldo has fired back at his haters after winning The Best FIFA Men’s Player 2016, even joking about his recent tax fraud allegations. Ronaldo winning the trophy came as little surprise, and it could be argued his using the platform to rip his critics is also par for the course.

"There were many doubts, and many campaigns against me. Inside and outside of football too. They wanted to attack me from all sides, Ronaldo said on Spanish radio, via ESPNFC. "The truth is that The Best [award] is for the best, which was me, so I am very happy. They wanted me to have a bad time, but as I said before: If you have nothing to hide you have nothing to fear. So I shut them up, again, as always."

Despite his defiance, Ronaldo also found time to joke about the allegations that have hovered over him since late 2015.

"Well, if I had to pay the €150 million that people said I had to pay... This [award] is tax-free. Madre mia!" Ronaldo said when asked if he'd have to pay taxes on the trophy. Previously, Ronaldo's representation said he'd have no further comment on the issue. (Releasing an income statement showing €203.8 million abroad for 2015 was a big-time stonewall move). Now, it seems that Ronaldo has reached the point where it's OK to laugh about the situation.

Ronaldo's never been shy about much of anything. He obviously thinks very highly of himself, and deservedly so. Amid all of the noise, whether for him or against him, he's never been afraid to offer up his opinion.