Cristiano Ronaldo’s elder brother faces trial over alleged scandal in deal worth $538 million: Reports
Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the most famous and recognizable athletes in the world right now. Naturally, the rights for his jersey are hotly contested as the Portuguese superstar sells shirts no matter where he plays.
Ronaldo's brother, Hugo dos Santos Aveiro, has now got embroiled in a fake jersey scandal and is set to face trial on June 20, according to Corriere dello Sport. The scandal dates back to Ronaldo's days at Juventus in 2019.
Hugo owns a company called Mussara which signed a $538 million deal with Italian company Pegasus for the distribution of Cristiano Ronaldo's merchandise. Pegasus managed the production and selling of shirts online.
The problem started when the Adidas logo on the jersey was replaced by the CR7 Museum logo. Hugo is also the manager of the CR7 Museum and the jerseys which had the Museum logo were termed as fake. Juventus even seized 13,000 of these 'fake' jerseys.
Cristiano Ronaldo's brother's company Mussara denied any deal with Pegasus. The Italian company argued that it was Hugo himself who authorized using the CR7 museum logo instead of Adidas.
Pegasus also claimed that these same 'fake' Cristiano Ronaldo jerseys were also sold at the museum in Madeira, Portugal. Pegasus are now suing Hugo and the court date, as mentioned earlier, has finally been set for June 20 this year.
Cristiano Ronaldo has been in fine form since joining Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr
Cristiano Ronaldo shocked the footballing world when he made the move to Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr. However, the Portuguese superstar has settled well in the league and has already scored an incredible 14 goals in 15 appearances for his side.
Having been given the captain's armband, Ronaldo kept his side in the title race by scoring a spectacular winner in a 3-2 win over Al-Shabbab on May 23. He also said that the league overall has improved massively and has the potential to become one of the top five leagues in the world.
Speaking after the game to reporters, Ronaldo said:
"Step-by step, I think this league will be in the top five leagues in the world, but they need time, they need players, they need infrastructure.”
Cristiano Ronaldo himself has been linked with a move away from Al-Nassr in recent weeks. It will be interesting to see where the Portuguese superstar will be playing next season.