(Agencies)
Updated: 2008-05-06 16:14

RIO DE JANEIRO - Brazilian star striker Ronaldo revealed Monday that he was "incredibly ashamed" over last week's encounter with a trio of transvestites which he believes will mark him for life.

A man has a look at some Brazilian newspapers frontpages reporting the alleged affair between Brazilian soccer star Ronaldo and local transvestites. Ronaldo revealed Monday that he was "incredibly ashamed" over last week's encounter with a trio of transvestites which he believes will mark him for life. [Agencies]

"I've cried a lot. I was incredibly ashamed," Ronaldo, 31, said in an interview with TV Globo published in the press Monday.

"I did a very foolish thing in my private life. It will stain my career forever but I have to rebuild," said the three-time world Footballer of the Year.

"It's like as if my house had been demolished by a hurricane ... We're all capable of making mistakes and I made a mistake."

Ronaldo had the shock of his life when he discovered prostitutes he'd picked up were in fact transvestites who then allegedly tried to bribe him out of 30,000 dollars for keeping mum about the incident.

"At no time did I know it was a transvestite. I'm completely heterosexual," said Ronaldo, who denied "ever taking" drugs or having sexual relations with the three prostitutes.

"When I realised it wasn't what I was looking for I withdrew my team from the pitch," the AC Milan striker said with a smile.

"I tried to put a stop to all there and then and return home but that's when the blackmail began," explained Ronaldo, who claimed that one of the transvestites had demanded "an absurd sum not to tell the media".

He added that he had picked up the prostitutes after a fight with his girlfriend who has since broken up with him.