Unveiling the mystery of the beauty who accused Ronaldo of raping her

The rape that Kathryn accused took place in Las Vegas, USA, more than nine years ago, when the two met by chance in a nightclub. Cristiano Ronaldo paid the victim to keep her silence for many years. But now, the woman has decided to go public with the whole story. And she claims to have evidence that could ruin Ronaldo's reputation.

The following serial profile was published in the German magazineSpiegel.

Spend money to buy silence

Kathryn seemed to have disappeared forever, or if she did, she would never say a word. No one in Ronaldo’s family wanted to bring up the Las Vegas story in 2009, especially not from her perspective. She even signed a non-disclosure agreement, promising never to speak a word about what happened that night.

Kathryn said she signed because she was afraid for herself and her family. She felt sorry for her small status, how could she fight against the powerful force behind Ronaldo. And Kathryn also wanted to close the past. But recently, that girl decided to step into the light. Because Kathryn has never been able to close that dark memory.

Kathryn, 34, is a slim woman with long black hair and blue eyes. She has been a primary school teacher for a long time. But she quit her job "because she wanted to devote all her energy" to accusing Ronaldo of rape.

Kathryn needed courage to stand up to the man who raped her nine years ago - an accusation he and his entourage vehemently denied. That man was Cristiano Ronaldo, one of the best players in football history, a super-rich, super-successful man with a huge fan base. One unknown woman against Ronaldo, could there be a more lopsided battle?

They first met on June 12, 2009, at a nightclub in Las Vegas. Ronaldo was there for the summer with his brother-in-law and cousin. It was also the summer that Ronaldo, at the age of 24, would move from Manchester United to Real Madrid for a then-record transfer fee of $99 million.

Kathryn was 25 years old at that time, working as a PG (promotional sales model). She and other beautiful female colleagues often stood in front of luxurious bars to invite customers to come in and play.

That Friday, with a motif somewhat similar to the Hollywood movie Pretty Woman, the two seemingly parallel paths of the model and the millionaire soccer player suddenly crossed in the VIP area of ​​Rain bar, a nightclub in the Palms Casino Resort complex. The paparazzi took a photo of Mayorga standing next to Ronaldo and chatting. That day, he was wearing a white shirt, a small black tie. She was wearing a light gray dress, with gold jewelry. He appeared gallant and cool next to her. Just a few hours later, tabloid websites immediately searched for the girl's identity. Everyone wanted to know: who was the brown-haired girl standing next to Ronaldo?

Meanwhile, Ronaldo’s party continued into the early hours of the next morning, at his penthouse near the Palms Place hotel. Only two people knew exactly what happened in the bedroom of that penthouse: Kathryn and Ronaldo.

One thing is clear: Ronaldo paid Kathryn $375,000 a few months later, in what was called an out-of-court settlement. In exchange, Kathryn signed a paper promising never to speak again about the accusation that Ronaldo raped her.

Shocking accusation

MagazineSpiegelfirst revealed the deal in early 2017. They accessed the case documents through the websiteFootball Leaks. After investigating, German journalists contacted Kathryn - who appeared in the files under the code name Susan K. She refused to comment when reached by phone. When reporters "ambush" her in front of her house, she ran away.

When the first article about this incident appeared, the Gestifute company representing Ronaldo immediately issued a press release: “The above articleSpiegelis a work of fiction. They have created a story using unsigned documents and quotes from unknown parties.”

However, many documents ofSpiegelprove otherwise. Some of them bear Ronaldo’s signature. The existence of these documents helps explain why Ronaldo, or more precisely Gestifute, did not take Spiegel to court. On the other hand, they also tried to discredit the victim, claiming that she “refused to come forward and continue to prove her accusations.”

That was of course a false claim. How could Kathryn speak out after she had signed a non-speak agreement? If she spoke out, she would have to pay compensation to Ronaldo's side and other huge expenses.

But now, many years later, she has decided to speak out. Why this change?

There were essentially three main reasons. First, she had a new lawyer, both experienced and tough, who told Kathryn: the non-speak agreement was completely unenforceable. Together, they drafted a lawsuit against Ronaldo under the name of Kathryn Mayorga, with a 27-page dossier. In that dossier, there was a clear record of how Ronaldo spent that fateful night, including an important quote from the Portuguese superstar: “She said ‘Please don’t’ many times.”

Second, the world has changed and women no longer need to suffer in silence. A year ago, allegations of sexual assault against Harvey Weinstein rocked the world. According to these allegations, the American filmmaker raped, molested and made vulgar comments to female colleagues over decades.

Money, power and fame

Not only did actress Alyssa Milano bring the scandal to the public for the first time, she encouraged all women who have been victims of sexual harassment to stand up together, under the hashtag#MeToo. And after that call, tens of thousands of women spoke up, creating a widespread social movement. Around the world, politicians, lawmakers and the masses cannot ignore and take lightly sexual harassment, especially when the perpetrator has money, power and fame.

Movement#MeToohas given victims more courage and confidence. Kathryn is one of them. She said she spent a lot of time sitting in front of the computer, reading the stories of other women.

Third reason: going public is the only way Kathryn will know if she is Ronaldo's only victim. "I always wonder: are there other people who were harassed and raped by Ronaldo and, like me, chose to suffer in silence?", the 34-year-old former teacher said.

A few weeks ago, Kathryn flew to Las Vegas with her lawyer, her mother, Cheryl Mayorga, and her psychiatrist. She wore a long black dress and turquoise earrings. Despite her makeup, Kathryn couldn’t hide the fatigue she had suffered from insomnia the previous week.

Kathryn took a deep breath. First, she talked about her fear of coming forward. “He was a handsome, famous man. I was scared,” she said. Kathryn was afraid that someone would attack her, that the media and Ronaldo’s fans would not leave her alone. “That was why I signed the agreement in the first place.”

Then Kathryn burst into tears, her breath ragged with hiccups. She tried to calm herself in the leather chair, her hands still covering her face. Her therapist looked concerned. He suggested that Kathryn be taken to the next room for a half-hour of mental rest.

Her mother, Cheryl, 66, is still by her side. She is a small woman with dark hair tied back in a bun. She chooses her words carefully. "That fear has never left her," she says. "She lives with it every day. Sometimes she calls me, because he's everywhere, on billboards, in a grocery store when she just wants to go in and buy milk. He's like a soccer god, everyone thinks he's perfect, flawless. There are days when she doesn't dare get out of bed. But we'll always be there for her."