Cristiano Ronaldo News: Juventus superstar will not face charges over alleged rape in the United States

What's the story?

Juventus forward Cristiano Ronaldo will not be charged for the alleged sexual assault of a woman in Las Vegas after it was announced that there is a lack of physical evidence to back the claims made against him.

In case you didn't know...

The allegations came to light when German publication Der Spiegel gave a woman named Kathryn Mayorga a stage to recount the supposed incident in October last year.

Mayorga publicly accused Ronaldo of raping her in a Las Vegas hotel when he was on holiday in the United States in 2009. She further claimed that the Portuguese talisman paid her $375,000 as part of a non-disclosure agreement after the incident.

The former Real Madrid star blatantly denied the allegations, stating that such a crime goes against everything he believes in. He tweeted, "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."

"My clear conscious (sic) will thereby allow me to await with tranquility the results of any and all investigations."

Las Vegas police reopened the investigation immediately after the allegations were made public. The case was even said to have been moved from the state civil court to a federal court last month.

The heart of the matter

Las Vegas prosecutors have now declared that Ronaldo will not be facing any charges over the rape allegations owing to a lack of physical proof against him. The decision was made because they believe the claims could not be 'proven beyond reasonable doubt.'

In a statement made on Monday, the Clark County District Attorney's office said (via BBC), "Based upon a review of information at this time, the allegations of sexual assault against Cristiano Ronaldo cannot be proven beyond a reasonable doubt. Therefore, no charges will be forthcoming."

What's next?

The verdict made by the prosecutors has put an end to a long and tedious legal battle between the two parties. It remains to be seen if Ronaldo or Mayorga herself will publicly address the situation in the days to come.

Meanwhile, Ronaldo is likely to feature in Juventus' International Champions Cup clash against Inter Milan tomorrow.