Ronaldo, Andreia, Andre and the 30,000 dollar bribe

Ronaldo had the shock of his life on Monday night when he discovered three prostitutes he'd picked up were in fact transvestites with one allegedly trying to bribe him out of 30,000 dollars for keeping mum about the incident.

The three time world Footballer of the Year, recovering in Brazil after knee surgery in February, was out and about in Rio to watch his beloved club Flamengo at the city's Maracana stadium.

At dawn, after dropping his girlfriend off at her house, the 31-year-old AC Milan striker picked up a prostitute who suggested bringing along two colleagues charging 300 dollars each, and booked into a nearby motel.

But it then became clear to Ronaldo that the prostitute, Andreia Albertine, was in fact Andre Luiz Ribeiro Albertino, a 21-year-old transvestite.

The other two prostitutes were also transvestites.

When the 2002 World Cup winner realised his mistake he reportedly threatened to hit Andreia who accused him of asking her to buy him drugs, according to local press reports quoting the prostitute.

Andreia videoed the footballer emerging from the motel on her mobile phone's camera.

The video, which appeared later on the internet site YouTube, shows Ronaldo wearing a Flamengo shirt. In the background a non-identified voice can be heard saying: “This is to prove that it's really you”.

In a statement issued by his press office Ronaldo swears to “never have taken drugs and to have been a victim of an extortion attempt”.

Ronaldo, according to Rio police superintendent Carlos Augusto Nogueira, “reported that Andreia had taken his car documents and demanded 30,000 dollars to avoid a scandal”.

Nogueira added: “Ronaldo admits the facts. He said he just wanted to amuse himself, that's not a crime. To pay to have sexual relations isn't illegal.

'There's a strong chance that Ronaldo has been the victim of extortion.”

The police superintendent added that he found Andreia's attitude in running out of the police station before giving her account of the incident “very strange”.

Before she appeared at the police station the prostitute had carried out numerous interviews recounting Ronaldo's nightmare night.

A police inspector told the O Dia newspaper that Ronaldo had “cried” saying this affair could spell the end of his career.

The Brazilian star and the three transvestites have been summoned to make fresh statements to the police in a week's time.