Cristiano Ronaldo Calls Las Vegas Hotel Rape Allegation 'Fake News'

Last year, German publication Der Spiegel published an article claiming soccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo raped a woman in his Las Vegas hotel room in 2009. This week, the publication published a follow-up article, where the woman making the allegation against Ronaldo, Kathryn Mayorga, detailed the night she says he raped her. Ronaldo's lawyers subsequently revealed their plans to sue Der Spiegel. Now, Ronaldo himself has responded to the allegations.

"No, no, no, no, no. What they said today? Fake, fake news,” he exclaimed during an Instagram Live stream over the weekend. "They want to promote my name. It’s normal. They want to be famous to say my name, but it is part of the job. I am happy, man—and all good.”

Mayorga told Der Spiegel that she met Ronaldo in Las Vegas on June 12, 2009 while he was on vacation. When she was invited back to his room alongside her friend and some of his, she says that he "begged" her to touch his penis and wouldn't let her leave until she kissed him. When she kissed him, he started to get aggressive and allegedly anally raped her in his hotel bedroom. "When he was done, he still did not want to let me go, he looked guilty," Mayorga alleged.

Ronaldo reportedly paid Mayorga $375,000 in an out-of-court settlement in 2010. Lawyers for Ronaldo called the report "blatantly illegal" and plan on pursuing "moral damages in an account corresponding to the gravity of the infringement, which probably one of the most serious violations of personal rights in recent years."