Moonpig have withdrawn a Cristiano Ronaldo-themed Valentine’s Day card from their website after a backlash.
The £3.49 card portrayed the Manchester United striker celebrating alongside the message: ‘Nothing will stop me scoring this Valentine’s Day’.
Moonpig were criticised on social media following accusations the Portuguese footballer raped former model, Kathryn Mayorga in Las Vegas in 2009.
Ronaldo strenuously denied the allegations and has never faced criminal prosecution.
But one person on Reddit asked ‘what were they thinking’ while others branded the card ‘horrible’ and ‘ignorant’.
The card was subsequently removed from the Moonpig website – and also another card retailer, Thortful.
Moonpig has withdrawn a Cristiano Ronaldo-themed Valentine’s Day card from their website after a backlash on social media
American model-turned-teacher Kathryn Mayorga Claimed Ronaldo Raped her in a Las Vegas hotel room in 2009
A Moonpig spokesperson said: ‘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.
‘When concerns were raised about this card, we removed it immediately from our site.’
Ms Mayorga claimed she screamed ‘no’ as Ronaldo pulled her onto a bed to sexually assault her in a Vegas hotel room almost 13 years ago.
She said she struggled with clinical depression and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder following the alleged attack.
But Ronaldo, 37, has always branded her accusations ‘fake news’ and maintained their relations were consensual.
Ronaldo (left) has always strenuously denied the sexual assault allegations from Ms Mayorga
According to The Mirror and Der Spiegel, Ronaldo settled a case with Ms Mayorga 12 years ago for £375,000.
She then sought to overturn that original settlement in 2018 after being encouraged by the #MeToo movement against sexual misconduct following accusations made against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein and other famous figures.
She sought more than £56million in damages and costs.
Ronaldo in action for Manchester United in a match at Burnley earlier this week
But in October last year, a US judge recommended the civil case be dismissed and in 2019, Las Vegas police confirmed Ronaldo would not face criminal prosecution after reopening the investigation into him.
In 2018, Ronaldo said: ‘I firmly deny the accusations being issued against me. Rape is an abominable crime that goes against everything I am and believe in.’
