Hacker who leaked rape allegation against Cristiano Ronaldo and brought to light Lionel Messi’s salary convicted in Portugal

'Football Leaks' hacker Rui Pinto brought to the public domain Lionel Messi's salary and Cristiano Ronaldo' rape allegations. However, as per Sportstar, Pinto has been convicted by a court in Portugal on Monday (September 12) and handed a suspended four-year prison term.

Pinto's 'Football Leaks' - the biggest information leak in sport history - led to criminal investigations in five different countries: Belgium, Britain, France, Spain and Switzerland.

The 34-year-old termed himself a whistleblower acting in public interest, but prosecutors charged him with 89 hacking offences and attempted extortion. That is a crime punishable in Portugal by up to 10 years in prison.

Pinto was convicted on five counts of illegal access to IT systems and three counts of “correspondence violations”. He was also charged with an attempted extortion against the investment fund, Doyen Sports.

Sportstar quoted presiding judge Margarida Alves telling the court, where Pinto was released pending his trial, that the latter made privacy violations:

“The freedom to inform does not justify violations of privacy. The court has no doubt. ... It has clearly been established that he was hoping to get money."

Pinto allegedly sought between €500,000-1,000,000 from the head of Doyen Sports, Nelio Lucas, to stop publishing compromising documents.

Between 2015 and 2018, Pinto shared 18.6 million documents online or with a group of European newspapers, which shocked the football fraternity. They include the salary details of Lionel Messi and Neymar, Cristiano Ronaldo's rape allegation, 'financial slight' at Manchester City and PSG's racial profiling.

In the trial that began in September 2020, Pinto admitted to using unfair and illegal means to obtain his information. Among his many alleged victims are Portuguese club Sporting Lisbon and the Portuguese Football Federation.

The legal proceedings against him commenced after Pinto was arrested in Hungary in 2019 and extradited to Portugal. The hacker spent a year in jail before agreeing to cooperate with the authorities, making him both a defendant and protected witness.

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How have Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi fared this season?

Cristiano Ronaldo (left) and Lionel Messi

Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are widely regarded as two of the best players in the sport's history. Despite being on the wrong side of 30, both superstars have aged like fine wine and still going strong.

Ronaldo, 38, has been on fire at Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr this season. After scoring six times in as many games in their victorious Arab Club Champions Cup, he has bagged six goals and four assists in four SPL games.

Meanwhile, Messi, 36, has hit the ground running at MLS side Inter Miami. He bagged 10 goals and four assists in their victorious Leagues Cup campaign. The 2022 FIFA World Cup winner has contributed a goal and three assists in three league games to lift the Herons from the bottom of the MLS Eastern Conference.