Former Chelsea defender Ricardo Carvalho handed seven-month prison sentence for tax fraud
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Former Chelsea defender Ricardo Carvalho has been given a prison sentence for tax fraud in Spain.
Carvalho has been found guilty of hiding over €500,000 in tax income from image rights during his time with Real Madrid.
He returned the amount but has been sentenced to seven months in prison and fined €142,882 (£128,222).
Carvalho's guilty plea saw his sentence reduced from 12 months.
Spanish law states any sentence under two years for a non-violent crime does not require a defendant without previous convictions to serve jail time.
(Image: Getty)
He follows a long line of players to have been found guilty of tax fraud in Spain.
Both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have fallen foul of the law in recent years with the latter attending a court hearing in July over claims he avoided €14.7m.
Carvalho, who is now in China with Shanghai SIPG, spent six seasons with Chelsea, winning three Premier League titles.