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Argentina's 2022 FIFA World Cup hero Gonzalo Montiel has been accused of raping a woman at his birthday party four years ago.
Montiel was in the headlines after helping La Albiceleste win the World Cup in Qatar last December. He notably scored the winning spot-kick as his side beat France on penalties in the final.
However, the Argentina international appears to be in trouble, as a woman has accused him of raping her at his birthday party on January 1, 2019. After the allegations came to light earlier this week, Argentine radio station Radio 10 released audio clips of the victim, where she says:
“I woke up at six in the evening, and they told me that they raped me. I didn't remember anything at all. I spent weeks, months, trying to remember the things they told me. They brainwashed me to try to cover up for this son of a b***h."
The victim added that she received death threats from people close to the FIFA World Cup winner:
"I can't forget his face, I don't know if it was him or 20 who raped me. They spent weeks calling me, threatening me. There was a car at the door of my house, and I was afraid that they would shoot me. I had calls after calls from his mother and anonymous people who told me that if Montiel's career screwed up, they were going to shoot me in the head."
Lawyer details incident involving Argentina FIFA World Cup hero
Raquel Hermida Leyenda, the victim's lawyer, detailed the events that took place at the Argentina and Sevilla defender's residence on January 1, 2019, saying:
"It is a complicated complaint because it's aggravated sexual assault with carnal abuse. The incident occurred on January 1, 2019, at Montiel's house, on the occasion of his birthday celebration."
She continued:
"This girl had seen him twice before. In inviting her, he told a friend of both, 'Let her come to my birthday; we are going to take care of her'. At one point in the night, she completely lost consciousness. Hours later, she woke up lying on the street, at the door of that house. She doesn't know how many people were involved in the abuse. But from the first medical analysis that they did in a health center, we know that there was carnal abuse."
The lawyer also revealed that a complaint has been filed, and a case against the 2022 FIFA World Cup hero is pending in court.
