Maria Moran, a Spanish sports journalist, has claimed that former Barcelona star Jasper Cillessen threatened to leak private pictures of her if she didn't have an abortion.
Maria gave birth to a daughter in October 2021. In November 2022, Cillessen was revealed as the father of the child. According to AS, Moran was suing the former Barcelona goalkeeper for the abandonment of his family.
Recently speaking about the incident, Moran told Story (via Daily Star):
“Jasper threatened and blackmailed me several times, even when I was pregnant. He scared me very much. He made me have an abortion. If I didn’t, he would publish private photos and videos of me. He blackmailed me almost daily. I was also not allowed to talk to the media."
She added:
"I don’t care about that man’s life. I only care about my daughter, I have to make sure she has food. A man who never asked about his daughter, even when she was in hospital with breathing problems, does not deserve respect. He knew his daughter was very sick and in hospital. But apparently he didn’t care.”
Maria Moran shared a message for former Barcelona goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen's daughter
Moran recently shared a message for her and former Barcelona goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen's daughter. Cillessen currently plays for Dutch club NEC.
Moran shared a heartfelt message on her Instagram along with a photo of her daughter. She wrote:
"Dear daughter, Life is a wonderful journey, but being a woman in it is complicated, too much. Unfortunately, mom has had to keep quiet a lot to "win" the battle against powerful men, those who think that money can buy everything, except affection and dignity..."
Moran concluded:
"I want a trip for you in freedom, that no one silences you, that you do not have to bow your head, that you can decide about your body without being ashamed, that no powerful person makes you small, that you have the freedom to decide, to speak, to feel, without fearing the consequences."
Cillessen made 32 appearances for Barcelona between 2016 and 2019. He was also the Netherlands' first-choice goalkeeper in the 2022 FIFA World Cup.