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Madrid welcome Ronaldo back to training

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Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo has returned to Real Madrid training for the first time since reports he wanted to leave the club emerged earlier in the transfer window.

Madrid released images of Ronaldo back training with the first-team squad on Saturday, his arrival ahead of the new season coming later than his team-mates due to his participation in the Confederations Cup with Portugal.

‘Ronaldo completed the first half of training alongside the group, before moving on to train alone as he works on getting back in shape ahead of the new season,’ read Madrid’s training report.

A dramatic period since winning the Champions League has seen the forward become the subject of a tax complaint from Spanish prosecutors, a case which saw him appear in court for a pre-trial hearing on Monday.

Ronaldo has consistently denied the claims of financial misdemeanour and his apparent unhappiness at the investigation prompted reports he no longer wanted to play in Spain.

But the former Manchester United star is now expected to stay with Madrid, who have offered the forward their support and believe he will be proven innocent, despite speculation over his desire to return to England, which he reportedly referenced during his court appearance.

Prosecutors allege the 32-year-old has evaded €14.7-million in taxes relating to his image rights between 2011 and 2014.

The four-time Ballon d’Or winner is alleged to have created a ‘business structure’ in 2010 to conceal his earnings, a claim which has also been strenuously denied by his management company Gestifute.

With all their friendlies now out of the way, Madrid have a huge trio of matches to play before the start of La Liga’s 2017-18 campaign.

Zinedine Zidane’s men meet United in the Uefa Super Cup on Tuesday, before the two-legged Supercopa de Espana against fierce rivals Barcelona.

– This story originally appeared on FourFourTwo.co.za