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High-profile football stars are increasingly getting accused of rape and sexual assault, with Brazilian Dani Alves, the latest victim.
Several football players have been convicted, yet many have been acquitted.
Here is a list of some of the big-status players that have beaten the career-threatening accusations.
Callum Hudson-Odoi
Odoi, who is English-born but of Ghanaian descent, was arrested in May 2020 over sexual assault allegations before he was released later in June that year.
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A model, who Odoi allegedly met online before the star invited her to his apartment, called the police in the wee hours of the night, claiming that she had been raped.
"I have stayed silent and assisted the police throughout their inquiries, as I knew the day would soon come when my name would be cleared," Odoi took to Twitter after Metropolitan Police had ended their investigation.
Mason Greenwood
The Manchester United forward was charged with attempted rape, controlling and coercive behaviour and section 47 assault on his girlfriend, acts that allegedly happened in January 2022.
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The charges were later dropped in February 2023 after prosecutors in the case said vital witnesses had dropped their cooperation from the investigation.
"I am relieved that this matter is now over, and I would like to thank my family, loved ones and friends for their support," a statement released on behalf of Greenwood as quoted by SkySports said.
Karim Benzema and Frank Ribery
The French duo was accused of having sex with an underage prostitute Zahia Dehar in 2014. It was believed the two paid her for sex.
Benzema vehemently denied the accusations, but his compatriot admitted he did have sex with her, but he had no idea she was a minor nor a prostitute.
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Benzema and Ribery were later cleared of all the charges as there was no evidence to back the accusations.
Neymar Jnr
The Paris Saint-Germain forward was 2019 accused by a lady called Najila Trindade before everything got cleared later on.
Trindade claimed that the Brazilian, who was drunk and aggressive, forced himself on her and had sex without consent.
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The two had linked up through an Instagram chat before the woman flew from Brazil to France to meet the most expensive footballer.
It was, however, revealed that the complainant had conspired with her husband to blackmail and extort money from Neymar.
Cristiano Ronaldo
In one of the most controversial rape cases involving a football star, Ronaldo was accused by Kathryn Mayorga, who claimed he raped her in 2009 at a hotel in Las Vegas.
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The woman then alleged that Ronaldo paid her a massive $375,000 to stay silent, claims that the Al Nasser star denied.
Ronaldo made it clear the two had sex after the consent, and the case was dismissed over a decade later in 2022, as the judges found Mayorga's lawyer to have relied on leaked and stolen records as the basis to support their client.
Note: Benjamin Mendy, whose cases were high-profile as well, still awaits retrial of two cases after getting cleared of some.
The 2018 World Cup winner with France got cleared of six other rape and sexual assault cases against four women after a trial at Chester Crown Court earlier in 2023.
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