Ex-Man Utd star once 'adopted' by Cristiano Ronaldo ordered to serve prison time over huge child maintenance debt

Anderson has been told by a family court in Porto Alegre that he faces time in prison unless he pays out the £45,000 (£58,000) he owes, according to GZH. The former Manchester United star, who retired in 2019 at the age of 31, will have to serve 30 days in jail unless he clears his child maintenance debt. Anderson must serve the sentence in a "closed regime" but if there is no room he could be allowed the option of a "semi-open" regime. This would allow him to work or study in the daytime and then return to prison at night to sleep.

Anderson spent eight years at Manchester United, after signing from Porto in 2007, and won four Premier League titles, the League Cup and the Champions League with the Red Devils. The Brazilian midfielder played alongside Ronaldo at Old Trafford and has previously revealed how the Portugal superstar helped him out during his time at the club and almost "adopted" him.

He told Globo: "I thank him very much. He adopted me. We [Anderson and Nani] lived at Ronaldo's house for almost a year. We left because we wanted to leave.

"For him we could have stayed there. We didn't spend anything. The guy took us to training, fed us, had a cook for us. There was a swimming pool inside and outside the house, a jacuzzi, and a tennis court."

If Anderson does pay his outstanding child maintenance debt then the judge will suspend the arrest warrant against the 36-year-old. If not he faces a spell at the Irmao Miguel Dario Prison in Brazil.