Cristiano Ronaldo’s super yacht raided by Spanish custom officers

Armed Customs and Excise officers are reported to have boarded Cristiano Ronaldo’s holiday yacht as part of an inspection.

The Real Madrid footballer is said to have been stopped at high sea after leaving a restaurant on the paradise island of Formentera near Ibiza.

Spanish society magazine Hola, which broke the news on Wednesday, published pictures on its website of three officials boarding the yacht.

The inspection is said to have lasted around an hour and a half.

Cristiano was apparently on the yacht with girlfriend Georgina Rodriguez and friends and family when the officials approached the vessel on a large boat.

Cristiano and his entourage were understood to be on their way back to Ibiza when they were stopped. There was no immediate response on Wednesday from Spain’s Tax Agency.

Ronaldo is due to attend court at the end of the month to testify as part of an investigation into his tax affairs over claims he may have defrauded £12.9 million by paying insufficient tax over a four-year period.

There is no suggestion the inspection and the court probe are linked in any way.

The inspection is believed to have formed part of routine checks performed on vessels in the area, related to the paperwork on board to make sure companies hiring yachts have paid the correct taxes.

The Customs agents are understood to have left after discovering everything on board Cristiano’s yacht, named as AYa London, was in order.

A Spanish Tax Agency spokesman confirmed the inspection formed part of a routine check.