The Portuguese striker's lawyers have been empowered to negotiate a plea between their client and the Spanish tax authorities

Cristiano Ronaldo has finally admitted that the options to prove his innocence are slim, and he has decided to take steps in order to clear his name from the IRS tax fraud case in which he's been involved.

According to a report by El Mundo, CR7 has asked his lawyers to enter a "guilty" plea regarding all four tax evasion charges being pursued by the Spanish tax authorities. This is the first step being taken by the footballer on this matter, and the deal is apparently being studied by those trying the case.

CR7's aims to have all four tax evasion charges expunged by paying around 14 million euros (some $16.5M) to the Spanish IRS. These tax evasion charges come from the player's reluctance to pay taxes from his image rights between 2011 and 2014. 

If he hadn't agreed to present this plea bargain, CR7 could have faced jail time. Added to that, he would have been forced to pay Spanish tax authorites up to 100 million euros (around $120M).

According to El Mundo's report, CR7 agreed to walk this path if the Spanish tax authorities drop all four charges of tax evasion. 

Other players such as Lionel Messi and Javier Mascherano have been involved in similar cases, with both players paying up an undisclosed amount as a fine to avoid jail time.