The AC Milan striker, who was back in his homeland recovering from a serious knee injury, picked up the three prostitutes after dropping off his girlfriend. The group booked into a motel in the Rio de Janeiro neighbourhood of Barra da Tijuca whereupon Ronaldo realized all three prostitutes were in fact men. Press reports quoted one of the prostitutes, Andreia Albertine - otherwise known as Andre Luiz Ribeiro Albertino - as saying that Ronaldo had threatened to hit him after discovering that he was a transvestite.

The motel manager - identified only as Luisa - said Ronaldo tried to get rid of the prostitutes after discovering their gender. She told police Ronaldo offered the prostitutes $600 to end the incident but they would not accept dollars.

Ronaldo told Rio police that Albertino ripped a phone from the wall to prevent him calling for help, broke into his car, took his driving license and demanded $30,000 to keep the incident out of the newspapers.

As prostitution is legal in Brazil, the World Cup-winning striker will face no criminal charges. However, he must return to the police station for further questioning next week. The police confirmed that Albertino is likely to be charged with extortion.