At one stage, it looked like the rape accusations against Cristiano Ronaldo might threaten to derail his career, but then that story seemed to disappear from the headlines.

There is still some movement on that front, but Ronaldo’s name was all over the news yesterday after he pleaded guilty to tax fraud in Spain.

He signed a plea agreement and will be fined $21,6 million (around R300 million) and was given a suspended 23-month jail term.

Not that he looked all that bleak as he left the courtroom:

A relative drop in the ocean when you consider that, by some estimates, he made around $108 million last year alone.

Ronaldo went from the courtroom to the private jet, posting this photo to his Twitter and Instagram accounts:

Whilst the photo looks innocuous, it’s the timing that has angered so many.

In case you’re not aware, Argentinian footballer Emiliano Sala is currently missing after the plane he was on, carrying just himself and the pilot, went missing during a flight from France to Cardiff, where he was due to meet up with his new teammates after signing for Premier League outfit Cardiff City.

The plane lost contact off Alderney in the Channel Islands on Monday night, and Guernsey Police have said there is “no trace” of the flight and suspended the search for the night.

Audio also emerged, via WhatsApp voice notes that have now been shared with the media, of messages Sala sent to friends and family whilst on the flight.

It’s pretty tough to listen to, really:

Whilst the search continues today, it now seems certain that Sala and the pilot died in a crash, and many consider Ronaldo’s timing insensitive at best.

Here’s NewsAU:

England legend Gary Lineker was among the social media users to hit back at the Juventus superstar for his ill-timed photo, tweeting: “Not the day for this tweet. It really isn’t.”

English football pundit Lewis Wiltshire called it “tone deaf” while former rugby star Ugo Monye said simply: “He’s a d***.”

If you recall some of the locker room stories from his time at Manchester United, that self-centred barb is nothing new.

I have no doubt that Ronaldo has zero ill intentions, but it was certainly a bit daft to post this photo when the footballing world as a whole is focused on a tragic story involving a plane crash.

[source:newsau]