Iranian artist Fatemeh Hamami was deeply upset by erroneous reports suggesting that Cristiano Ronaldo had been sentenced to receive 99 lashes for embracing her.

The false claim stated that the Portuguese footballer had been found guilty of adultery in Iran due to the embrace he shared with the disabled artist.

This embrace took place when they met in Tehran before Al-Nassr's AFC Champions League match against Persepolis.

Nonetheless, the Iranian embassy in Madrid swiftly refuted these reports, clarifying the situation.

Hamami has also clarified why her family chose not to pursue legal action against Ronaldo in this matter.

"Cristiano Ronaldo is an extremely professional and ethical character who always gets involved in great charity matters, and he embraced me with love and affection.

artist and Ronaldo

"Unemployed lawyers made accusations against him without my or my family's permission. In Iran, he has committed a crime for hugging me, while we have never had any complaints. I am very grateful to Ronaldo for his love for me. I hope the best happens to him in life and football."

Asked if Ronaldo was aware that he was committing a crime by embracing her, Hamami said: "No one told him anything about the laws of Iran and he didn't know it either, but Ronaldo's hug was for his love and brotherhood, and he had no bad intentions.

hugs Iranian artiste as she gifts him paintings of himself

"My family and I have no complaints about this issue; we just want to deny these accusations against Cristiano."

Hamami, who is 85 percent paralysed, also opened up about fulfilling a life "dream" when presenting the paintings to the Portugal international.

"It was a dream," she said. "I spent several years drawing portraits of him and I couldn't believe that dream had come true, seeing Cristiano in our country, Iran, and giving him the paintings as a gift.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Fatemeh Hamami | فاطمه حمامی (@fatemehamami)

"I dreamed for a long time about meeting him. When Al-Nassr played Persepolis in Tehran, I travelled with my family from my hometown to meet Cristiano at the hotel where his team was staying.

"He was very valuable to me. He made me very happy. And he gave me his shirt! I'm going to leave it as a souvenir. It's very important and valuable to me."