By now you’ve probably heard the unfortunate story of three-time former World Player of the Year Ronaldo. Last week, the AC Milan striker invited three prostitutes back to a hotel only to find out once he got to the hotel room that they were transvestites. The media, of course, has delighted in the Brazilian legend’s fall from grace, and the player on Monday told Brazilian television that he worries his reputation will be forever ruined by the incident.
“I’ve done something really stupid in my personal life,” Ronaldo said in an interview with Globo. “We are all subject to making mistakes and I made a mistake in looking for this. I did not at any moment know they were transvestites.” He added: “I cried a lot afterward. I was incredibly ashamed.”
Ronaldo had returned to his native Rio de Janeiro to recover from a career-threatening knee injury. His club, AC Milan, has yet to comment on the incident with the prostitutes, but Grahame L. Jones of the Los Angeles Times says they are now unlikely to renew his contract, which expires next month, although Brazilian club Flamengo is interested. Unfortunately, Ronaldo is probably right: he may never live this one down.