With all the material conditions in abundance, busy with his playing career and having 5 children to take care of at the same time, Ronaldo is still able to closely monitor and raise his children very thoroughly.
Ronaldo does not want his father’s misery to repeat in his son’s life.
Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo comes from a small village in the Madeira archipelago. His journey to becoming one of the most iconic players in world football would not have been possible if Ronaldo had not dared to make a difficult decision.
According to Ronaldo, the most difficult and also the most important decision in his life was leaving his family at the age of 13 to train with the youth team of Sporting Club (Portugal).
Although Ronaldo always considered this a right decision that changed his career journey, Ronaldo did not want this to happen to his son Cristiano Jr (13 years old).
Sharing in a recent interview, the Al Nassr club’s famous player confided about the period that he considered the most difficult in his life and career: “When I left my family in Madeira to go to Lisbon to train, I considered this the most difficult period in my life and career.
So I would be very hesitant if I had to let my eldest son leave his family, go to a football club and start his training journey. I don’t think I would agree to let him leave his family, even if he was 15, because leaving his family when he hasn’t reached the necessary maturity is very difficult.”
Ronaldo with his eldest son (Photo: Page Six).
The challenging wish of Ronaldo’s son to succeed him
Ronaldo’s eldest son, Ronaldo Jr, is now 13 years old. The teenager is training in the youth team of Al Nassr (Saudi Arabia). Previously, Cristiano Jr impressed when he scored 58 goals from 28 appearances, during the period when he was training in the U9 youth team of Juventus.
From that time on, Cristiano Jr. was recognized as having the potential to pursue a career as a football player. During his training with Al Nassr’s U13 team, Cristiano Jr. and his teammates won the championship in the tournament for youth teams in Saudi Arabia.
Ronaldo said his son’s biggest wish is to be able to play a professional football match with his father before he retires: “My son told me, don’t retire early, because I want to play a professional football match with me.”
Ronaldo started his professional career at the age of 17. If his son can reach this milestone like his father, the 4-year period will still be a big challenge for Ronaldo’s physical strength and performance. Currently, the famous player is 39 years old, maintaining a professional career for another 4 years is a big challenge for him.
Ronaldo’s contract with Al-Nasr will end at the end of 2024 or early 2025. At this time, Ronaldo will have turned 40 years old.
In an interview with British television journalist Piers Morgan in 2022, after the interview ended, Ronaldo answered an off-topic question and this moment did not appear in the recorded frame. Accordingly, Ronaldo said he wanted to retire at the age of 40.
Journalist Piers Morgan is a close friend of Ronaldo and is often given in-depth interviews by him.
Whether or not he can fulfill his son’s biggest wish, Ronaldo is still very satisfied because he feels his son’s development is going very well.
Ronaldo believes that his eldest son has all the elements to pursue a career as a football player: “Cristiano Jr. has the necessary qualities, he has a lot of potential. He has all the conditions to pursue a career as a professional football player. That’s my personal assessment.” When playing in Al Nassr’s U13 youth team, Cristiano Jr. often wore the captain’s armband.
Ronaldo’s small family (Photo: Page Six).
How Ronaldo closely follows and trains his son
Although Ronaldo is very busy with his playing career, he still takes time to exercise and take care of his children as much as he can.
In February this year, Ronaldo showed a strict attitude towards his sons in front of a large crowd. After the Al Nassr U13 youth team won the championship, the boys were able to meet the players in the official Al Naasr team. The young players took turns walking up in a line to shake hands with their seniors.
While his friends followed the rules, Ronaldo Jr. stood outside and watched his friends shake hands with the senior generation. Immediately, the famous player Ronaldo looked at his son with an angry gaze. This moment went viral at that time, because it showed Ronaldo’s strictness with his children.
Whenever Ronaldo plays for a club, his eldest son always trains with the youth team of that club. Ronaldo’s mother believes that her grandson is even more outstanding than her son, considering his playing ability at the same age. Ronaldo Jr. impresses with his outstanding height and good physical foundation.
Ronaldo often spends time working out with his son in the family gym. He has shared many moments of working out with his son. Ronaldo Jr. was taught by his father how to train and maintain his form, and he also taught his son discipline in his daily life.
Ronaldo also revealed that he once took Cristiano Jr. to visit the house where Ronaldo’s family lived when he was a child. Young Cristiano Jr. was shocked by what he saw: a small, cramped house, far from the luxurious villas he had stayed in.
“My son was so shocked and couldn’t believe that I lived in that small house. He kept asking me questions because he couldn’t believe what he saw. For me, it was an experience that I needed to give to my little son,” Ronaldo shared.
He said he always wanted his children to understand their father’s starting point and the journey of efforts to help the family overcome poverty that he had made, since he was a teenager passionate about football.
In the history of world football, Ronaldo is considered one of the most successful players in the 21st century. Most likely, he will be one of the rare USD billionaires appearing in the world of sports.
Ronaldo grew up in a poor family, his father was a heavy drinker. Ronaldo’s family lived in a poor residential area in the city of Funchal, Madeira, Portugal.
Ronaldo with his mother and siblings (Photo: Page Six).
Little Ronaldo used to have to sweep the streets and beg for food.
As a child, Ronaldo worked as a street cleaner in his neighborhood to help support his family’s modest living expenses. He also begged for food to feed his family so they could have more food.
Ronaldo is the youngest of four children. Ronaldo’s mother, Dolores dos Santos, was devastated when she found out she was pregnant for the fourth time. Due to her family’s difficult circumstances, she decided to see a doctor to have an abortion, but the doctor refused to perform the procedure.
The miserable mother, with a husband who was a heavy drinker and 3 small children to support, had to find many ways to abort the pregnancy. She drank a lot of alcohol and ran until she was exhausted, but all methods failed and… Ronaldo was born in 1985.
Ronaldo’s father, Jose Dinis Aveiro, was a heavy drinker and was never drunk. Jose earned his living as a gardener, but the job was unstable. Jose himself had many psychological problems. All the family responsibilities fell on his wife, mother, Dolores.
In previous interviews, Ronaldo has always proudly recounted the difficult journey he has gone through. When he saw his family often going hungry, young Ronaldo soon learned to take on cleaning jobs in the residential area to earn some extra money to help his mother. He also often stood outside food stores so that the store owners could give him unsold food.
Ronaldo and his brother with their father when he was alive (Photo left: ITV). The house where Ronaldo’s family lived when he was a child (Photo right: Daily Mail).
The torment of an alcoholic father
Overcoming all the difficulties at the starting point, Ronaldo has reached the pinnacle of success in the sports world. He not only has a successful career, international reputation but also knows how to build a huge fortune for himself. What hurts Ronaldo the most is that his biological father can never witness the great success that his son has achieved.
The father passed away early from liver failure in 2005. Although he could not witness the glory that his youngest son achieved, from the moment he saw Ronaldo take the first steps in his football career, his father knew that his son would one day become a famous figure in the football world.
Ronaldo once said: “I don’t understand my father very well. He is a drunkard, I can never really talk to him, even if it’s just a normal conversation. I find it very difficult to face my father.”
Despite his difficult childhood, Ronaldo never felt miserable when recalling those days. He grew up well and became a family man. Ronaldo was very close to his mother and three siblings. The famous player had a good relationship with his relatives.
Ronaldo with his biological mother (Photo left: Page Six). Ronaldo with his longtime girlfriend (Photo right: Page Six).
For Ronaldo, family is number 1
Despite his enviable fame and fortune, Ronaldo always tries to stay realistic in life. He always upholds family values. In many interviews, Ronaldo has affirmed that family and relatives are the most important things to him.
Currently, Ronaldo is the father of 5 children. Besides his tireless efforts in his football career, Ronaldo affirms that raising his children is one of the most important and wonderful priorities in his life.
Cristiano Junior was born in June 2010, but the identity of his mother was never revealed. Ronaldo said that at the right time, he would tell his son who his biological mother was.
Ronaldo welcomed twins Eva and Mateo in June 2017 via surrogate. Ronaldo and his longtime girlfriend Georgina Rodriguez welcomed daughter Alana in November 2017. In April 2022, the couple had another daughter, Bella Esmeralda.
Talking about the joy of being a father, Ronaldo once confided: “When you become a father, it is a completely different feeling, a feeling that you cannot put into words. There are moments with my children that I will always remember very clearly, every time I remember, I immediately feel very warm.”
