An investigation into alleged rape and sexual assault in Stockholm reportedly targeting French football star Kylian Mbappé has been closed due to insufficient evidence.
Sweden's prosecution authority announced two months ago that it was investigating an alleged incident that occurred at an upscale Stockholm hotel on 10 October, without mentioning the suspect by name.
The 25-year-old forward with Real Madrid – one of the highest-profile players in world football – was in the Swedish capital from 9 to 11 October with a group of people after he was not selected by France for a Nations League match.
Several Swedish media outlets, including newspapers Aftonbladet and Expressen and public broadcaster SVT, identified Kylian Mbappé as the suspect.
Mbappé 'not involved'
In a statement released this Thursday, prosecutor Marina Chirakova said: "My assessment is that the evidence is not sufficient to proceed and the investigation is therefore closed," although she did not mention Mbappé by name.
Chirakova said the suspect had "not been notified of suspicion of a crime".
In October, Mbappé said that he was "shocked" to see his name linked to the investigation.
Speaking for the first time about the case on Sunday, he told French television show Clique he was "not involved".
"I haven't received anything, no summons ... I'm not involved," he said.
According to Aftonbladet, Mbappé and his entourage dined at a restaurant one evening before going on to a nightclub.
Aftonbladet said the complaint was filed on October 12 after the alleged victim had sought medical attention.
Meanwhile, Expressen reported that police had seized some clothing as evidence, saying it consisted of women's underwear, a pair of black trousers and a black top.
Photographs showed police officers leaving the hotel with brown bags.
Difficult season
Mbappé joined Madrid this summer after seven years at Paris Saint-Germain and has stayed clear of scandal in his private life.
The forward – who is known for carefully managing his image through a close network of family, lawyers and spokespeople – has become one of the world's highest paid players after a stellar career that began when he was barely into his teens.
Mbappé won the World Cup as a teenager in 2018 in Russia and scored a hat-trick in the 2022 final in Qatar which France lost on penalties to Lionel Messi's Argentina.
He has had a difficult season since moving to reigning European champions Real Madrid from PSG in the summer, failing to find his top form.
However the Frenchman scored in Madrid's 3-2 win against Italian side Atalanta on Tuesday, which revived Real's flagging bid to regain their Champions League title.
