Cristiano Ronaldo is rumoured to be dating Spanish TV presenter Lucia Villalon.

The 29-year-old sports star, who split from model Irina Shayk over the Christmas period, has been linked to the brunette beauty by Spanish newspapers, after they were seen together at the recent FIFA World Player of the Year event in Zurich, where Ronaldo collected the prestigious award.

Neither the Real Madrid player nor Lucia - a law and journalism graduate - have responded to the rumours, which have surfaced shortly after Ronaldo's ex-girlfriend denied that their split was caused by a family feud.

Last week, it was claimed that Ronaldo dumped Irina because she refused to attend a 60th birthday party he was organising for his mother Dolores.

However, a spokesperson for the model-and-actress has refuted those claims, saying: ''She has been very close to his family throughout their relationship.

''Any negative rumours about Irina's and Ronaldo's family are completely false and have not been a factor in the cause of the split. Irina has no comments at the moment.''

The pair dated for five years, but the future of their relationship was called into question when Ronaldo failed to thank Irina at the event in Zurich.