Atletico Madrid forward Diego Costa has been sentenced to six months in prison - but will pay a hefty fine to avoid serving the time.
The 31-year-old, who also played for Chelsea between 2014-2017, appeared in court in Madrid on Thursday morning dressed in a white mask.
According to a court filing published last month, Costa failed to declare payments of around €5.6m (£5m) following his move from the Blues to Atletico in 2014.
And according to Spanish publication El Mundo he has been found guilty and handed a six month jail sentence.
However, in compliance with the law in Spain he has agreed to pay a fine of €507,208 (£453,000) as a punishment for defrauding the state as well as an additional €36,500 (£32,600) to avoid jail time.
Speaking ahead of his court visit on Thursday, an Atletico spokesman told Reuters: "Diego Costa reached an agreement a few months ago with the prosecutor and has already paid the corresponding fine plus interest and the request for a prison sentence was withdrawn.
"This week it is expected that agreement will be ratified in court, as is mandatory."
This is far from the first time a high-profile footballer has faced tax charges in Spain.
In 2017 Lionel Messi was handed a 21-month prison sentence for tax fraud, but this was later changed to a heavy fine.
Likewise, Cristiano Ronaldo also had to cut a deal with a court in Madrid over tax evasion charges last year, eventually accepting a £16.6m fine.
Costa has been a bit-part player for Atletico this season, making just eight starts in La Liga and scoring only twice.
He is remembered fondly by Chelsea fans, however, after scoring 59 goals over four seasons at Stamford Bridge and helping the side win two Premier League titles and a League Cup.
