Rio de Janeiro - Police questioned football star Ronaldo after a run-in with transvestites in an hourly hotel in Rio de Janeiro, media reports said.

The three transvestites working as prostitutes accused the AC Milan striker of refusing to pay the agreed price, taking drugs and threatening violence, the reports said. One filmed the discussion at the hotel and posted the short video on the YouTube website.

A spokesman for Ronaldo said in a statement, however, that the incident was an extortion attempt and denied that the player who was the top scorer in the 2002 World Cup, helping Brazil to the title, had taken illegal drugs in the incident Sunday night or had ever taken illegal drugs.

Police inspector Carlos Augusto Nogueira told reporters Monday night that Ronaldo's version of events was "more believable."

The 31-year-old athlete, who was in his hometown recovering from an injury to his left knee, admitted that he was looking to spend some time with prostitutes but mistook the transvestites for women, Nogueira said. Ronaldo said they tried to blackmail him for 50,000 real (30,000 dollars) in return for not telling the media about the incident, the inspector added.

"Ronaldo told me that he was having psychological problems because of the new injury and his rehabilitation," the inspector said.

In a number of television interviews in Brazil, where prostitution is not illegal, Andrea Albertino, whose given name is Andre Albertino, said she and two other transvestites had taken Ronaldo to the hourly hotel and showed Ronaldo's car documents that she said he had left behind as a guarantee of a later payment.

Ronaldo, a three-time FIFA World Player of the Year, suffered his latest knee injury February 13 when he tore his left kneecap ligament while jumping for a cross in a 1-1 draw between Milan and Livorno. He underwent surgery to repair it a day later in Paris and arrived in Rio de Janeiro this month to pursue his recovery. He said he expected it to take six or seven months. (dpa)