This week, a report by Spanish media has been doing the rounds online as it claimed to have identified the mystery owner of the one-off Bugatti La Voiture Noire as Cristiano Ronaldo.

While it seemed plausible considering his salary and the fact the soccer star already owns a Bugatti Chiron and previously bought a rare Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse, we couldn't help but be skeptical since the publication didn't cite any sources. TMZ reached out to Ronaldo's spokesperson and received this succinct statement: "The story isn't true. He has not bought it." There you have it.

So, who did buy the Bugatti La Voiture Noire, aka the most expensive new car ever made, for an eye-watering cost of $18 million? We'll probably never know for sure, but initial reports suggested the one-off hypercar was purchased by former VW Group chairman Ferdinand Piech.

Trouble is, Bugatti can't confirm or deny these reports, as the buyer's identity is being kept a closely guarded secret. Unsurprisingly, Bugatti was bombarded with requests to comment as soon as the news broke out. "I felt more like the spokesperson of Cristiano Ronaldo than the Head of Communications of Bugatti", Bugatti's Communications Manager, Tim Bravo, explained on Instagram. "Every other phone call or email was about the rumors naming the Juventus Turin football player as the supposed buyer of La Voiture Noire."

"My statement - all day long and for as many times as you might ask me - is that we don't comment on these rumors, even less when customers are involved. We respect their privacy and it's on them, not on us, to decide if they want to go public or not. So: I can't deny nor confirm the reports."

Unveiled at the 2019 Geneva Motor Show, the Bugatti La Voiture Noire is a modern tribute to the iconic Type 57 SC Atlantic featuring a bespoke black exterior and an 8.0-liter, 16-cylinder quad-turbo engine producing 1,479 hp and 1,180 lb-ft of torque.