Ronaldo seems to have everything a normal person wants: Rich, talented, handsome, famous. But behind the halo of a legend are wounds that never heal called family.
In 1984, when Dolores Aveiro became pregnant, she tried every way to abort this unwanted child. Unable to find a normal clinic, she chose to abort at home but was unsuccessful. Dolores’ misfortune then fortunately became a priceless gift to world football. On February 5, 1985, baby boy Cristiano Ronaldo was born. CR7 escaped death before he was even born.
Ronaldo was the youngest of four children. As the youngest, Ronaldo was somewhat pampered by his family, but that did not mean he was raised well. His father, Jose Dinis, was a heavy drinker and became a burden to the family for many years. As a result, he passed away suddenly when Ronaldo was in his twenties.
Ronaldo with his mother Dolores, son and brother Hugo.
As a child, Ronaldo was very close to his older brother Hugo Aveiro, who was 10 years older than Ronaldo. The relationship between the two was so close that when Ronaldo opened a museum named after him in Madeira, he immediately transferred ownership to Hugo to manage. Ronaldo is also the godfather of Hugo’s son.
Unlike Ronaldo, Hugo was born and raised while his father was in Angola fighting. Without his father’s love as a child, Hugo grew up like a weed. Although both brothers dropped out of school early, unlike Ronaldo who pursued football, Hugo was immersed in the depraved games of youth, addicted to alcohol and even drugs.
In the late 90s, while Ronaldo was diligently training for the Sporting youth team, Hugo got into drugs. His miserable mother Dolores even had to borrow money to take Hugo to rehab. But in the end, Hugo was still the same and relapsed after 2 years. Now Hugo has quit, but he still can’t forget the shame of the long slide in his youth.
For that reason, despite being the owner of a museum named after the world’s best player, Hugo chose to live a quiet life. He spent more time with his family and neighbors, instead of showing up at the museum. In his free time, he would hang out at a bar owned by Joel Santos – an old friend of Ronaldo.
Santos himself is a former professional footballer. In his bar, there is a photo that is treasured like a treasure. The photo shows Ronaldo in a Sporting shirt playing against Marcitimo – the team Santos played for at the time. In the photo, Santos is trying to catch Ronaldo – who was 17-18 years old at the time.
Ronaldo is the irreplaceable striker of Portugal.
“I didn’t know Hugo at the time,” Santos said. “But everyone who knew him said that if he had gone on to become a footballer, he could have been even better than Ronaldo.” Carlos Pereira, a friend of Ronaldo’s and the current president of Maritimo, agrees, but only in terms of the street player:
“People now often say Hugo is a good player, but the two players’ football styles are completely different. Hugo plays football on the streets, and after playing, he drinks and goes wild. Ronaldo is different. He plays football in a fully organized club. Hugo is good but only at an amateur level.”
Both Ronaldo and Hugo were heavily influenced by their father Dinis. But while Hugo followed in his father’s footsteps, drowning himself in alcoholism, Ronaldo was sober enough to stay away from it throughout his career. Ronaldo always wanted to be with his father, but knew that Dinis was not a good example for children.
The only thing that makes people sympathize with Mr Dinis’s lifestyle is that Madeira is a place where people… indulge in drinking. There are bars everywhere, drunk people everywhere. Before Ronaldo, Madeira was famous for… alcohol. Middle-aged people drank heavily right on the street. Hugo followed suit, but Ronaldo did not – because he quickly went to Sporting.
As he grew older, Ronaldo became closer to his mother and two sisters than to his brother and father. Ronaldo felt that being too close to bad examples would negatively affect his lifestyle. Hugo himself was always hanging out with bad people, drunks and drug addicts. Ronaldo never wanted to be involved with them.
The Ronaldo family’s neighbors also revealed a shocking story: Hugo once stole things from the house and sold them to get money for drugs. Hugo never left Madeira, he was stuck there, stuck with bad habits on an isolated island. Luckily for Hugo, his life was saved by his younger brother.
Before the 2014 Champions League final, Ronaldo had the chance to win his second Champions League title. Hugo himself did not believe it, so the two made a bet: If Ronaldo won with Real, Hugo would be forced to quit drinking.
The final result was clear: Real Madrid won the Champions League, and Ronaldo scored in the final. On the night of the victory, he called Hugo with a gentle advice: You won the bet, now it’s my turn to keep my promise. Honor to his brother left Hugo no choice but to keep his word.
Thanks to Ronaldo, Hugo is now healthy, not drinking or addicted to drugs. That is largely due to Ronaldo. He did not consider his father and brother as a good example to follow, but he never rejected them, always loved them. Ronaldo knows how to give love to those he loves.
Another person Ronaldo took in was his childhood friend Albert Fantrau. When they were both living on the island of Madeira, a Sporting scout came to watch them play. But he could only choose one, so he made a deal: Whoever scored more goals would go to Sporting.
Ronaldo scored the first goal that day, and Albert scored the second. But the third goal was the decisive moment that sent each of them on their separate paths. Albert ran down to face the goalkeeper, but instead of shooting or choosing to pass with his own technique, he passed the ball to Ronaldo who scored. As a result, Ronaldo went to Sporting, and Albert stayed in Madeira.
After the match, Ronaldo asked Albert why he did that, and he simply replied, “Because you’re better than me, go.” That somewhat fictional story was told by Ronaldo, causing everyone to go to Albert’s house to confirm the truth. Albert was unemployed at that time, but lived a very comfortable and convenient life.
Looking at Albert, one would never think he was unemployed. Albert had a house, a car, and looked like a successful man. Albert’s answer surprised everyone even more: This property is all thanks to Ronaldo! Ronaldo never forgot the gratitude of his old friend who passed him that fateful ball, helping world football have a CR7 like today.
