Unexpected Glimpse into Cristiano Ronaldo’s Private Life
When Ronaldo signed his new deal in 2016, he expressed his desire to sign another contract that would keep him at Real Madrid until he was 41, after which he’d retire. However, plans change.
Regardless of what anyone may think of his decision to move continents, his loyalty to his family remains steadfast.
Ronaldo is the youngest of four, born Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro in the city of Funchal on the Portuguese island of Madeira to José Dinis Aveiro, a municipal gardener and equipment manager for the local team CF Andorinha, and Maria Dolores dos Santos Aveiro, who worked as a cook. As a young boy, he played soccer in the streets and joined his first youth team at the age of 7 at his father’s encouragement.
In a 2017 essay for The Players’ Tribune, Ronaldo recalled his father, who passed away in 2005 at the age of 52, always attending his games alone because his mother and sisters had no interest in football. But eventually, they did attend one of his games.
“Life was a struggle back then in Madeira,” he remembered. “I was playing in whatever old boots my brother passed down to me or my cousins gave me. But when you’re a kid, you don’t care about money. You care about a certain feeling. And on that day, this feeling, it was very strong. I felt protected and loved. In Portuguese, we say menino querido da família.“