Brazilian Soccer Fans Cry Foul Over Ronaldo ‘Transvestite’ Scandal
Seems like nearly anything goes where sexual orientation is concerned in Brazil, so long as it does not involve the mix of gays and soccer. Er, make that football. Macho sports fans from the land of baile funk and bikinis are mocking footie phenom Ronaldo for his alleged romp in Rio last week with three male prostitutes dressed as women.
Yes, this means the trio of sex workers is being described around the world with that outmoded term, “transvestite.” Wince.
Get both sides of the story - and maybe a grain of truth - after the jump!
While details of the episode appear almost purposefully murky, the rough outline alleges that Ronaldo – who like Madonna only needs one name – tried to score after a night on the town early Monday morning April 28 when he picked up 21-year-old Andreia Albertini, believing that the latter was a biological woman. Once they reached a motel in a posh neighborhood, Albertini, whose real name is André Luis Ribeiro Albertino, reportedly called two friends, also men dressed as women, to join them. Prostitution is legal in Brazil.
At some point in the game, Ronaldo, the 31-year-old striker for Italy’s A.C. Milan team, realized that the playing field was not exactly what he had strategized. He claims that the sex workers then demanded an exorbitant sum not to tell the media ("Skanks!"), and they say that he threatened to harm them ("Neanderthal!").
Now, obviously, Ronaldo would like everyone to think that he made his discovery about the prostitutes early in the first quarter, and that this play was his first and only offense. He denies that he actually had sex with the trio.
Not that many people really suspect Ronaldo, who's been in his native Brazil recovering from surgery, of homosexuality. This is the womanizer, after all, whose exploits with the opposite sex coined the subset of female strivers known as "Ronaldinhas". What is troubling, though, is that the star feels the need now this week to vigorously defend his masculinity, and he describes himself as "incredibly ashamed" about the incident.
Hey, dude, there ain't nothin' wrong with helpin' a buddy out, as Johnny McGovern would say.
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