Argentine former footballer Diego Mendoza sparked controversy this week with detailed accounts of the early stages of his relationship with journalist Josefina “China” Ansa, a prominent television presenter. Mendoza’s remarks, made during an interview on the Argentine program Citados, hosted by Juan Marconi on Infobae, drew criticism for what many considered an overly explicit recounting of private interactions.
Mendoza described meeting Ansa in 2020, while he was playing for Ibiza, Spain, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Their initial connection was entirely virtual, lasting for over a year, according to Mendoza. He recounted a desire to see more of Ansa beyond video calls, stating, “I wanted to gain to know her, because I only saw her from here to here [from the chest up]. I said, ‘Show me a butt, something.’”
He further claimed that Ansa eventually sent him explicit photos, a detail that fueled the backlash. “She was very much a journalist on Instagram. She didn’t even have a photo in a swimsuit, because a swimsuit photo lowers the tension. And she said, ‘No, no, no,’ but here I come to defend myself because there was [content] from her to me,” Mendoza said, as reported by Clarín. He described a technical difficulty while receiving the images, stating he had limited internet access and incurred significant data charges. “I was living facing the sea. There isn’t much signal there, you end up spending a lot more data. We were talking on a video call and we got into that playful exchange.”
Mendoza claimed Ansa requested he delete the photos after sending them, which he said he did, stating, “I gave her my word.” He then detailed the financial cost of viewing the content, estimating it amounted to 500 euros in data charges. “It was the most expensive thing I’ve ever paid to see,” he said, adding that the process of downloading the images and a subsequent video was fraught with interruptions due to his limited data plan.
The detailed nature of Mendoza’s account quickly drew criticism on social media, with users questioning his decision to publicly share private details of his relationship. According to Perfil, commenters expressed disapproval, with some questioning his respect for Ansa and labeling his behavior as “disgraceful” and “ordinary.”
Both Mendoza and Ansa responded to the criticism on their respective social media accounts. Mendoza asserted that his comments were taken out of context and maintained that the details of their relationship were not private. He also criticized individuals within the entertainment industry who used the interview as an opportunity to speak negatively about him. Ansa echoed Mendoza’s sentiment, stating that he had not revealed any intimate details, harmed her reputation, or manipulated the situation. She characterized his account as simply “part of the story in another context and without me.”