Manchester (AP) – In emotional words, football superstar Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodriguez shared their immeasurable pain with the world. Known as a passionate father, the Portuguese mourns the loss of their newborn son with his partner.
“It is with the greatest sadness that we announce that our baby boy has passed away. It is the greatest pain a parent can feel,” the couple wrote in a joint statement, which Ronaldo posted in black and white on his social media channels.
The wording suggests that her son did not survive the birth of twins. “Only the birth of our baby girl gives us the strength to have some hope and cheerfulness in this moment,” it says. “We will always love you,” the parents write in memory of their lost son. Privacy is requested at this difficult time.
Great sympathy
The participation was huge. On Tuesday morning, more than eleven million people interacted with the sad news on Instagram. “Your pain is our pain. We send you love and strength for you and your family at this time,” commented his club Manchester United. Ronaldo’s team-mate Marcus Rashford wrote: “My brother, my thoughts are with you and Georgina. I’m so sorry.” Some people also use his post to attack the England international again.
Many left black, red or broken hearts as a token of their sympathy, such as Ronaldo’s team-mates Diogo Dalot and Alex Telles, as well as Alvaro Morata, James Rodriguez. Hertha’s Kevin-Prince Boateng and athletics legend Usain Bolt also expressed their sympathy. “My friend, I send you my prayers and my feelings at this very difficult time. May God comfort your hearts and enlighten every step of the way,” wrote Brazilian legend Pelé. “A lot of strength for you, your wife and your whole family,” said Brazil’s soccer star Marta.
The Manchester United player announced in October that he would be the father of twins. Ronaldo (37) previously had four children. He has 11-year-old son Cristiano and twins Eva and Mateo (4), who are from surrogate mothers, as well as four-year-old daughter Alana Martina with Rodriguez.
The pair met in Madrid in 2016 when the Portuguese was playing for Real Madrid. In 2017, Ronaldo said he wanted to have seven children – matching his world-famous shirt number. “That’s my fetish number,” Ronaldo told the French sports newspaper “L’Équipe” at the time. His partner emphasized last year that she wanted to have more children.