Cristiano Ronaldo responds to tax fraud allegations in Instagram post

The Real Madrid forward has been accused of 'hiding his total income from Spain’s tax office'

Cristiano Ronaldo made the same gesture during a Portugal training session on Wednesday (Getty)

Cristiano Ronaldo has suggested that he will remain tight-lipped over allegations that he defrauded the Spanish tax office of €14.7million (£12.9m).

The Real Madrid forward has been accused by the Spanish capital’s regional state prosecutor of using a shell company in the Virgin Islands to “hide his total income from Spain’s tax office”.

Ronaldo's representatives have denied the allegations and insisted that their client’s taxes are in order, while Real Madrid have also thrown their support behind the superstar forward and backed him to prove his innocence.

Ronaldo himself issued a short message on social media on Thursday, uploading an image of himself holding his finger to his lips with the caption: “Sometimes the best answer it’s to be quiet”.

The four-time Ballon d'Or winner had previously spoken briefly about the accusations when quizzed by reporters following a training session with Portugal on Wednesday, saying he had a “clear conscience”.

Madrid's state prosecutor alleged Ronaldo used an off-shore company to hide a portion of his income from the tax office.

However, a statement from Ronaldo's management company Gestifute insisted the company, Tollin, which was established during Ronaldo's time with Manchester United - from whom he moved to Real Madrid in 2009 - has acted in accordance with British and Spanish tax laws.

Ronaldo is currently on international duty with Portugal preparing for the Confederations Cup in Russia, which begins on Saturday.

Additional reporting by PA