Spain's tax rate influenced Ronaldo's decision to join Juventus, says Tebas

La Liga president Javier Tebas believes Cristiano Ronaldo left Real Madrid because of Spain's high tax rate, adding that the country's tax system is hindering the league's efforts to grow.

Shortly before Ronaldo's first match at the World Cup, news broke that the Portuguese star had reportedly accepted a suspended prison sentence and agreed to pay an €18.8-million fine to resolve tax evasion charges in Spain.

Less than a month later, Ronaldo moved on from Real Madrid after the defending Champions League winner honoured his request and sold him to Juventus for €100 million.

Tebas suggests Ronaldo was lured to Serie A by the prospect of earning more money than he would in Spain, with Adriana Garcia of ESPN FC pointing out that the "top tax rate in Italy it is 46.29 percent, compared to 52 percent in Spain."

"His departure to Italy favours him because he will earn more money than here," Tebas told Marca TV, as translated by ESPN FC. "From an international view, in Spain, we have a problem that we can't compete from a fiscal standpoint.

"When it comes to having the same (wage) offer from Real Madrid, Ronaldo gets more net by being in Italy. That must have added when it came to him making the decision.

"In the big leagues, the worst fiscal treatment players get is in Spain. When you earn big sums of money then that small difference is already a lot of money for a player.

"We have to work on this because having this fiscal situation penalises us and prevents us from growing as a competition."

Lionel Messi, Alexis Sanchez, and Luka Modric are among other football players who have been charged with tax fraud by Spanish authorities in recent years.