Cristiano Ronaldo 'could be sentenced to 99 lashes for adultery for posing with a painter' - Reports in Iran claim

Cristiano Ronaldo could face a sentence of '99 lashes for adultery' the next time he visits Iran because of a photo with a painter, according to reports in the country.

According to Mundo Deportivo, Iranian media have claimed that a large number of lawyers in the country have filed a complaint over the Al-Nassr star due to the picture which was taken in his visit there back in September.

Ronaldo, who is in a relationship with Spanish model Georgina Rodriguez, visited Tehran, the capital of Iran, with Al-Nassr to face Persepolis in the group stage of the Asian Champions League in September.

While there, the Portuguese international met Iranian painter Fatima Hamimi, who wanted to give a picture to the former Manchester United and Real Madrid star, which she made especially for him.

It's said that Ronaldo kissed her on the cheek and gave her a signed shirt, while he also posed for a photo in which he hugged her, which has attracted the ire of Iranian lawyers.

This is because in Iranian law, touching a married woman is equivalent to adultery.

Hamimi is said to be '85 per cent paralysed' and is a massive fan of the Portuguese star.

Iranian network Sharq Emroz, as per Mundo Deportivo, state that the Iranian justice system reacted quickly to the photo of the pair and sentenced Ronaldo to 99 lashes the next time he travels to Iran.

Al-Nassr are competing in the group stage of the Asian Champions League where they are in Group E alongside Iranian side Persepolis, Qatar side Al-Duhail and Takikistan's Istiklol.

He will not return to Iran in this phase of the competition but should they made the knock-out rounds, it cannot be ruled out that he will have to set foot on Iranian soil again.

It's said that if he does so, Ronaldo could be arrested by authorities in Iran to force him to serve the sentence.

However, as reported by Marca, the sentence could be forgiven by a judge if 'the acts are not punishable or Ronaldo shows remorse'.

Ronaldo has been in a relationship with Rodriguez since 2016 and they have two children together, Alana Martina and Bella Esmeralda.

Rodriguez is also mother to his three other children, eldest child Cristiano Jnr, and twins Eva and Mateo, who were born via surrogate.

Rodriguez and the kids followed Ronaldo to Saudi Arabia when he joined Al-Nassr, in a deal that was confirmed on New Year's Eve last year.