Cristiano Ronaldo Celebrates Emotional First Birthday of Daughter Bella: ‘Daddy Loves You’

Bella’s twin brother Angel tragically died shortly after he was born in April 2022

Kirsty Hatcher is an Associate Editor on the People.com Morning Team. She has been working at PEOPLE since 2023. Her work previously appeared on ok.co.uk, in OK! Magazine and Reach PLC magazines.

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Cristiano Ronaldo and daughter Bella. PHOTO: CRISTIANO RONALDO/INSTAGRAM

Cristiano Ronaldo is celebrating his youngest daughter Bella Esmeralda.

The proud dad, 38, marked Bella’s 1st birthday on Instagram on Tuesday and shared a sweet snapshot of his little girl sitting on his lap.

“Parabéns pelo teu primeiro ano de vida, meu amor. O papá ama-te muito!🎂♥️😘,” the soccer star captioned the daddy-daughter photo, which translates into English as “Happy first year of life my love. Daddy loves you very much! 🎂♥️😘.”

In the cute photo, the Al-Nassr FC star was dressed casually in a white T-shirt and blue shorts, while Bella sported a white lace-collared top, navy cardigan and gray leggings for cuddles with her dad.

The athlete’s longtime girlfriend Georgina Rodríguez first shared the adorable picture in February.

Cristiano Ronaldo Cuddles 9-Month-Old Baby Daughter Bella in Cute Photo: ‘Strong and Delicate’

“Bella Esmeralda. That look, so strong and delicate, that God has given you. Love them,” Rodríguez, 29, captioned the snapshot.

“Just like dad. My love 🥰,” the Portuguese soccer star wrote in the comments section.

Bella’s twin sibling, a baby boy, died last year shortly after birth. Ronaldo and Rodríguez announced the tragic news in a heartbreaking post on social media on Apr. 18, 2022.

Georgina Rodríguez and daughter Bella. GEORGINA RODRIGUEZ/INSTAGRAM

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“It is with our deepest sadness we have to announce that our baby boy has passed away. It is the greatest pain that any parents can feel,” Ronaldo wrote. “Only the birth of our baby girl gives us the strength to live this moment with some hope and happiness.”

Ronaldo continued the post by thanking their doctors and nurses for “all their expert care and support.”

“We are all devastated at this loss and we kindly ask for privacy at this very difficult time. Our baby boy, you are our angel. We will always love you,” he concluded the post.

The couple also share 5-year-old daughter Alana Martina, while Ronaldo is father to son Cristiano Jr., 12, and 5½-year-old twins Eva Maria and Mateo.

In November, Ronaldo opened up in an interview with Piers Morgan about the moment he told his older children that while Bella was born healthy, her twin brother had died.

“Gio arrived home and the kids start to say, ‘Where’s the other baby, where’s the other baby?’ ” Ronaldo said.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s children. GEORGINA RODRIGUEZ/INSTAGRAM

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“The kids start to say ‘Mom, where is the other baby …?’ ” he continued. “After one week, I say, ‘Let’s be upfront, and let’s be honest with the kids — let’s say that Ángel, which is his name, he go to the Heaven.’ “

Ronaldo also told the British TV host how difficult the loss had been to deal with. “Piers, probably the worst moment that I passed through in my life, since my father died… It’s hard… we had quite difficult moments because we don’t understand why it happened to us,” he said.

Adding that he struggled with having one twin live and the other die, Ronaldo continued sadly, “I never felt to be happy and sad in the same moment. I never felt. It is hard to explain.”