Rape Charges Against Cristiano Ronaldo Dropped

Las Vegas police announced that Juventus superstar and soccer legend Cristiano Ronaldo will not face charges after a woman claimed that Ronaldo raped her in 2009.

The police cited the lack of forensic evidence, as well as the loss of video evidence and the fact that they could not prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Ronaldo had committed rape, as reasons not to move forward with a criminal trial. Ronaldo and the woman in question, identified as Kathryn Mayorga, reached a civil settlement in 2010, shortly after his world-record transfer from Manchester United to Real Madrid.

While Ronaldo and Mayorga reached a $375,000 settlement in 2010, she asked in September 2018 that her case be reopened, as the statute of limitations on rape in Nevada is 20 years.

"Mr. Ronaldo has always maintained, as he does today, that what occurred in Las Vegas in 2009 was consensual in nature," said attorney Peter S. Christiansen in a statement. "It is not surprising that DNA would be present, nor that the police would make this very standard request as part of their investigation."

Now that Ronaldo's legal troubles off of the pitch have officially been put to rest, he can concentrate on improving on his 21-goal season during his first year in Italy and helping Juventus win Serie A once again.