Champions League winner Robert Lewandowski, heavily favored to beat Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo to the Ballon d’Or this year, has been named in a lawsuit due to his alleged pursuit of millions of dollars, according to reports.
The Bayern Munich top scorer’s former advisor, Cezary Kucharski, is said to have filed a case against Lewandowski’s margeting company, RL Management, in a court in Warsaw, with Kucharski claiming that the forward, known for his clean image, illegally diverted “several million euros” aided and abetted by his wife, Anna, to pay for “luxury travel and expensive interior design”, according to documents seen by Spiegel.
Goal ace Lewandowski’s 48-year-old former associate is reportedly demanding around $10.5 million in damages in a suit that also reveals a “seven-digit euro amount” in an account belonging to Lewandowski in Poland that may have evaded tax authorities, the outlet said.
Lewandowski is said to be worth around $85 million and is one of the most high-profile footballers in the world following a flawless season in which he scored a remarkable 55 goals in 47 appearances.
His prolific performance has ensured that the Poland captain finished as top scorer in the Bundesliga and the Champions League as Bayern won both competitions alongside the German domestic cup.
32-year-old Lewandowski is not known for a propensity for showing off the spoils of his vast wealth as notably as Ronaldo, although he has a penchant for displaying some of his cars, which include a Ferrari and a Porsche, besides posing topless on beaches on social media.
For the record, Messi was handed a 21-month prison sentence for tax offences that was changed to a $288,000 fine in 2017 after being found guilty of defrauding the Spainish government of around $4.8 million between 2007 and 2009 alongside his father, Jorge.
Interestingly, two years later, Ronaldo was slapped with a hefty fine of around $22 million, including a 23-month sentence which is unlikely to see the Portugal captain spend time in jail.
A spokesman for Lewandowski told Spiegel that the lawsuit was “unfounded” and is said to have accused Kucharski of defamation, harassment and blackmail in retaliation, adding that he has“simply not come to terms with the termination of their co-operation”.
Let’s keep our fingers crossed and see if the goal-scoring ace can dribble his way out of this one.
Credit: Football Tribe Malaysia
