Real Madrid superstar Cristiano Ronaldo has been linked to Spanish reporter Lucia Villalon following his split from girlfriend of five years Irina Shayk. Speculations started when Villalon reportedly posted a picture with Ronaldo on Instagram.

On Jan. 13, Villalon shared a picture with the 29-year-old Portuguese footballer to her more than 51,000 Instagram followers. In the photo, Ronaldo and Villalon were seen all smiles as they posed with his third Ballon d’Or trophy on the plane en route to Madrid. “And go three, Ballon d’Or 2014, congratulations, Zurich 12/1/2015,” Villalon captioned the photo using her native language.

The photo sparked discussions that Villalon, who works for the official Real Madrid TV channel, is Ronaldo’s new flame. Several Spanish news outlets such as RTE and Libertad Digital reported that Villalon could potentially be Ronaldo’s new girlfriend. However, Ronaldo and Villalon’s alleged romantic relationship cannot be confirmed right now until both parties make their official statements.

Meanwhile, Ronaldo has spoken about his split with Sports Illustrated model and actress Shayk. In an article by the Mirror, Ronaldo has wished Shayk nothing but happiness as they move on with their own lives.

“After dating for five years, my relationship with Irina Shayk has come to an end,” Ronaldo said in a written statement. “We believed it would be best for both of us to take this step now, I wish Irina the greatest happiness.”

From a romantic relationship, remaining friends may be hard at first, especially if the couple have shared many good times together. In Ronaldo’s case, he insisted that he has managed to shift from being lovers to being friends with Shayk after the breakup. He said that he is still in good terms with the model.

It was announced last week that Ronaldo and Shayk have decided to call it quits after five years of dating. There were reports claiming that the former couple had a row when she refused to attend his mother’s birthday celebration. Furthermore, the rumour that Ronaldo and Shayk were no longer together was fueled when the model was not in attendance when he accepted his third Ballon d’Or trophy in Zurich on Jan. 12. Shayk’s representative have squashed all the negative reports and said that the pair had parted ways amicably.

To contact the author of this article, email r.corpuz@IBTimes.com.au.