Juventus star Cristiano Ronaldo has tweeted out a statement in response to the ongoing rape allegations against him from model Kathryn Mayorga.
Der Spiegel reported in the last few days that Mayorga alleges Ronaldo raped her in 2009, something his legal team hit out at and which he has now answered personally via his official Twitter account.
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It remains to be seen what will come out of all this, but the Portugal international insists he is innocent and has condemned rape as ‘an abominable crime’.
Ronaldo also appeared to hit out at Mayorga personally, with one part of his statement saying he refused to feed the story too much due to people using it as a way to promote themselves.
This sounds like a direct attack at Mayorga for using these accusations for personal gain, with the 33-year-old adding he is relaxed as he awaits the outcome of any further investigations into the incident.
Ronaldo has long been regarded as one of the finest footballers of his generation, but it will be intriguing to see what effect this has on his reputation.
His tweeted statement can be seen below:
I firmly deny the accusations being issued against me. Rape is an abominable crime that goes against everything that I am and believe in. Keen as I may be to clear my name, I refuse to feed the media spectacle created by people seeking to promote themselves at my expense.
— Cristiano Ronaldo (@Cristiano) October 3, 2018
My clear conscious will thereby allow me to await with tranquillity the results of any and all investigations.
— Cristiano Ronaldo (@Cristiano) October 3, 2018