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What's the story?
Juventus star Cristiano Ronaldo's mother Dolores Aveiro has broken her silence on the shocking rape allegations made against her son by Kathryn Mayorga.
In case you didn't know...
The accusations were made last year in an interview with German media outlet DerSpeigel where Mayorga accused the former Real Madrid forward of raping her in a Las Vegas hotel room in June 2009. The Portuguese was on holiday with his cousin and brother-n-law in the United States at the time.
The former model also claimed that Ronaldo made her sign a non-disclosure agreement and paid her $375,000 for her silence.
US police have since launched an investigation into the matter and have recently asked for a DNA sample of the footballer.
Ronaldo has vehemently denied the allegations, stating that they were against his values as a person.
"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", said the 34-year-old in a Twitter post.
"My clear conscience will thereby allow me to await with tranquility the results of any and all investigations."
The heart of the matter
While Aveiro has defended her son on social media last October, she has now addressed the allegations in person at a presentation of her brand of wine and oil.
Keeping her statement brief, she said (via Marca), "I have confidence in my son with regard to what happened. She didn't go there to play cards, but to do something."
Last year, Aveiro expressed her support by posting a picture of her son in a Superman cape, saying the Juventus star deserves justice.
What's next?
While the Portuguese star is still under investigation, his side Juventus is next scheduled to face Sassuolo in the Serie A on Sunday.
