Cristiano Ronaldo has strongly denied an accusation of rape made against him by Kathryn Mayorga, claiming such a crime was “against everything that I am and believe in”.

Mayorga says she was assaulted by the footballer after they met at a Las Vegas nightclub in 2009. In an interview with the German magazine Der Spiegel last weekend she gave extensive details of her claims. Ronaldo responded on Wednesday on Twitter, saying he awaits the results of a reopened police investigation “with tranquillity”.

Cristiano Ronaldo rape allegation: police reopen investigation into 2009 claim Read more

“I firmly deny the accusations being issued against me,” Ronaldo said. “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.

“My clear conscious [sic] will thereby allow me to await with tranquillity the results of any and all investigations.”

Lawyers for Mayorga, who sued Ronaldo in a district court in Clark County, Nevada, said the Portugal forward has 20 days from the filing of the lawsuit to respond. Mayorga alleges that Ronaldo raped her in 2009 in a Las Vegas hotel penthouse suite.

Mayorga had been emboldened to speak out because of the #MeToo movement, her lawyers said at a news conference on Wednesday. “The #MeToo movement and the women who have stood up and disclosed sexual assaults has given Kathryn a lot of courage,” attorney Leslie Stovall said.

Her lawyers added that Mayorga has left Las Vegas to escape the attention on her case, adding the alleged assault has caused her severe mental and emotional damage. She was not at the news conference.

“She has decided not to make herself available to the media and stay out of the public because of her emotional state,” Stovall said. “It is not pleasant for her.”

Her lawyers added they are considering whether to release documents they say relate to the case including police reports, medical records, and an out-of-court settlement that apparently included a non-disclosure agreement about the incident. They claimed that a psychiatrist has determined she suffers post-traumatic stress and depression because of the alleged 2009 attack in Las Vegas.

Ronaldo has previously described Ms Mayorga’s allegations as “fake news”. His latest remarks follow the decision by the Las Vegas police authorities this week to conduct further investigations into the claims.

Cristiano Ronaldo (@Cristiano) 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.

At the time Ms Mayorga reported the alleged assault in 2009 she refused to name her assailant. She later initiated a legal process that resulted in a financial settlement being agreed between both parties. The terms of that settlement included Mayorga not going public with her claims but the 34-year-old teacher, under new legal advice, now believes the settlement to be void and has spoken out.

“At the time the report was taken, the victim did not provide detectives with the location of the incident or suspect description,” said a statement from the Las Vegas police on Monday. “As of September 2018, the case has been reopened and our detectives are following up on information being provided.”