Atletico Madrid striker, Diego Costa, has fallen into the radar of Spanish authorities over tax evasion, Spanish newspaper, El Mundo, reported on Wednesday.
The Spanish forward is facing allegation of fraud totalling 1.1 million euros bordering on taxes related to his image rights in 2014.
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have both been penalised in the past for tax fraud in Spain.
While the Juventus forward agreed to 18.8 million euros in fines to settle the case, Messi paid a two-million-euro fine in 2016 and another 252,000 euros to cover for his 21-month jail term.
The tax office suspects that Costa “concealed income” from a sponsorship deal he signed with Adidas shortly before he joined Chelsea from Atletico in 2014.
The fierce forward, who returned to Atletico in 2018, will not play a single game for his team for the remainder of the season after his eight-match ban for insulting and grabbing referee, Gil Manzano, during the first half of Atletico’s 2-0 defeat to Barcelona on April 6.
