Cristiano Ronaldo 'Firmly Denies' Rape Allegations as Police Reopen 2009 Investigation

​Cristiano Ronaldo has launched a firm denial of the rape allegations made against him, describing it as 'an abominable crime that goes against everything I believe in'.

Kathryn Mayorga, 34, has filed a civil case against the Portuguese forward, making a claim of sexual assault in a Las Vegas hotel in 2009. ​Vegas police have reopened the criminal investigation.

Ronaldo's lawyers described the allegations, which were published in German newspaper Der Spiegel last weekend, as 'manifestly illegal', while ​Ronaldo himself has branded them 'fake news'.

The ​Juventus star has now issued a statement via his ​Twitter account denying the accusations and saying that he would not comment further for fear of feeding the 'media spectacle'.

"I firmly deny the accusations being issued against me. Rape is an abominable crime that goes against everything that I am and believe in," wrote Ronaldo. "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 will thereby allow me to await with tranquillity the results of any and all investigations."

Mayorga's lawsuit accuses Ronaldo and his representatives of coercing her into signing a settlement and non-disclosure agreement in 2009. She claims to have received $375,000 for her silence but is now seeking to void the settlement and agreement.

Ronaldo, who joined Juventus this summer, earns around €30m a year, making him the second-highest paid footballer in the world behind Lionel Messi.