Ronaldo breaks silence on rape allegations [Full statement]

Juventus superstar, Cristiano Ronaldo, has issued a firm denial amid sexual assault allegations.

Ronaldo insists he has a “clear conscious” on the matter and says he will “await with tranquility” for the investigation to unfold.

The statement read: “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 will thereby allow me to await with tranquillity the results of any and all investigations.”

Ronaldo is being sued by a woman in the US, who alleges he raped her in the penthouse suite of a Las Vegas hotel in 2009.

She also alleges the former Manchester United forward, then dispatched a team of “fixers” to obstruct the criminal investigation and trick her into keeping quiet for 375,000 dollars (£268,000).

The suit says the woman asked police last month to reopen the criminal case.