Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo has plans to sue a consultant accused of allegedly presenting false information about the Portuguese international's business deals, a report says.
The player's official spokesman told EFE news agency on Tuesday that the company in question, reported to be The Proto Group, had recently linked the three-time Ballon d'Or winner with the acquisition of a favela in Brazil, the purchases of an apartment in New York and a hotel in Monaco and the participation in a movie directed by Martin Scorsese. The player has denied his involvement in any of these projects.
"The name and the image of Cristiano have been used now for quite some time by a company whose presentation of false information has made them subject to a court case in the Italian justice system," the player's spokesman told EFE.
The Proto Group is a British company owned by Italian financier Alessandro Proto, who has been the subject of repeated probes by the Italian courts for his alleged market rigging. Proto Group reportedly linked Ronaldo to the purchase of a €140 million Monaco hotel this past January as well as an $18.5m loft apartment in New York's Trump Tower back in August 2015.
Proto has also reportedly linked himself to million-dollar real-estate deals with the likes of Warren Buffett, Leonardo DiCaprio, Madonna, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. Last year, Buffett denied claims he bought a Greek island along with Proto.
"News about the personal and professional life of Cristiano Ronaldo should come directly from official sources and informed media outlets, and the media should abstain from passing along 'information' which has the only intention of tricking public opinion for the benefit of the source," the player's spokesman told EFE.
In a statement published by Spanish daily Sport and EFE, Proto Group said they were "curious" to learn why Ronaldo had made the statement.
"We learned on Tuesday that Cristiano Ronaldo wants to sue our company. We are curious to learn the true reasons behind his decision. Probably it is because what he asked for did not come about. Cristiano Ronaldo must understand that not everyone is at his disposal," the statement said. "The information about deals realised by our group have been public knowledge for nearly a year. Probably, Cristiano is upset because we haven't reached a deal with him. Cristiano Ronaldo is used to having the world at his feet, but we don't work that way. It will be fun to see him in a proceeding that exposes many details, including those of his private life."