Cristiano Ronaldo has emphatically won the first round of his World Cup duel with eternal rival Lionel Messi — revelling in the adulation after his dramatic hat-trick while the Argentine flopped against Iceland.

Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo has agreed to pay the Spanish taxman 18.8 million euro ($20 million) to settle a tax fraud claim, a legal source said Friday.

Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo has agreed to pay the Spanish taxman 18.8 million million euro ($20 million) to settle a tax fraud claim, a legal source said Friday.

Cristiano Ronaldo will launch his latest and probably last attempt to crown his career with a World Cup 2018 winners medal when European champions Portugal face neighbours Spain in their opening World Cup 2018 game here on Friday.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal arrived Saturday in Russia to begin final preparations for a World Cup campaign that pits them against arch-rivals Spain.