Prosecutors in Las Vegas say that Juventus star Cristiano Ronaldo will not face criminal charges over allegations he raped a woman at a Las Vegas hotel in 2009.

After reviewing a police investigation into the claims, Clark County district attorney Steve Wolfson said on Monday there is not enough evidence to prove the allegations beyond reasonable doubt, and no charges will be filed.

Cristiano Ronaldo hits out at rape allegations: ‘It goes against everything I am’ Read more

“Based upon a review of the information presented at this time, the allegations of sexual assault against Cristiano Ronaldo cannot be proven beyond a reasonable doubt. Therefore, no charges will be forthcoming,” Wolfson said in a statement.

Ronaldo’s accuser Kathryn Mayorga, who came forward with her story last year, has filed a separate civil lawsuit against the footballer in US federal court. She claims the Portugal star initially used “fixers” to stop her pursuing criminal charges, including paying her $375,000 to keep quiet. Ronaldo’s lawyer, Peter Christiansen, has not denied his client reached an agreement nine years ago with Mayorga, who says she came forward with her story in the wake of the #MeToo movement.

Clark County DA (@LasVegasDA) @LasVegasDA Declines to Prosecute 10-year-old Sexual Assault Allegation Against Cristiano Ronaldo. @ClarkCountyNV pic.twitter.com/XXdc8D9Plk

Christiansen says that Ronaldo and Mayorga had sex but it was consensual. Mayorga, meanwhile, said she had initially agreed to kiss Ronaldo so that he would leave her alone but he eventually forced her into sex. “After he assaulted me, he wouldn’t let me leave again. He wouldn’t let me leave,” Mayorga told Der Spiegel in 2018. Mayorga filed a complaint with Las Vegas police the day after the alleged assault in 2009, although she refused to name her assailant. On Monday, Wolfson said this meant that Las Vegas police were unable to locate any forensic evidence. He added that video footage of any interactions between Mayorga and Ronaldo had been lost.

Mayorga says she was then in shock for three months after the alleged assault before ultimately deciding to draw a line under the matter by agreeing to a settlement. When she came forward last year Las Vegas police reopened an investigation into the allegations.

Ronaldo has denied Mayorga’s claims. “I firmly deny the accusations being issued against me,” he said in October 2018. “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.”

Ronaldo is one of the most famous athletes in the world. The 34-year-old is a five-time winner of the Ballon d’Or, an annual award for the best footballer in the world. He started his career at Sporting Lisbon before winning titles with Manchester United in England, Real Madrid in Spain and Juventus in Italy. He is also a national hero in Portugal, and led his country to the European Championship title in 2016.