Ronaldo Valentine’s Day card pulled after complaints
A card company has withdrawn a Valentine's Day product featuring Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo after facing an angry backlash online.
The card, which cost around $4.70, contained the Portuguese captain's image and had him celebrating a goal alongside the caption "Nothing will stop me scoring this Valentine's Day".
Moonpig received criticism before shelving the card following allegations that Ronaldo raped ex-model Kathryn Mayorga in Las Vegas in 2009.
"It's never our intention to upset anyone; we take pride in delighting our customers and go to great lengths to provide an exceptional range and service to them," a spokesperson from Moonpig told The Mirror in response to the row.
Moonpig really put up a card of Cristiano Ronaldo, a r*pist, with the caption “nothing will stop me scoring this Valentine’s Day” 🤦♂️ pic.twitter.com/nOBWxie1ZE
— FSG GTFO (@LFCdedoid) February 9, 2022
"When concerns were raised about this card, we removed it immediately from our site."
Some of the comments branded the card "horrible" and called Moonpig "incredibly ignorant".
"What were they thinking?" asked one unimpressed viewer.
Ronaldo's alleged victim claimed she protested 'no' as the striker sexually assaulted her after pulling her onto a bed in a Las Vegas hotel room. She said she struggled with both clinical depression and PTSD following the ordeal.
Der Spiegel reported that Ronaldo had settled the case with Mayorga for around $507,000 in 2010.
But Mayorga pushed to have the settlement overturned in 2018 in a move apparently inspired by the #MeToo movement, and sought more than $75 million in damages.
A US judge recommended that the civil case should be dismissed and police confirmed that five-time Ballon d'Or winner Ronaldo would not face criminal prosecution after closing their investigation into him.
Ronaldo has described Mayorga's accusations as 'fake news' and maintained that the pair's relations were consensual.
The former Real Madrid and Juventus hotshot said in 2018 that rape is "an abominable crime that goes against everything I am and believe in".
Ronaldo, who is expecting twins with partner Georgina Rodriguez, will return to Manchester United action at Old Trafford against Southampton in the Premier League on Saturday.
The 36-year-old came off the bench during a 1-1 draw at Burnley on Tuesday.
