Cristiano Ronaldo marked Portuguese Father’s Day with a heartfelt social media post honouring his late father, Jose Dinis Aveiro, reports BritPanorama.
The Al-Nassr forward, now 41, shared a carousel of images on Instagram, opening with a photograph surrounded by his five children: Cristiano Jr, Alana, Mateo, Eva, and Bella Esmeralda. A second image showed the Portuguese icon as a young man standing alongside his father, who passed away from liver failure aged just 52 in 2005.
Accompanying the tribute, Ronaldo wrote: “Where I come from and who I live for. Happy Father’s Day.” Friends and fans flooded the footballer’s comments with love heart emojis.
At the time of his father’s death, the forward was merely two years into his Manchester United career. Aveiro had served as equipment manager at Andorinha, a local football club on the island of Madeira, where he first encouraged his son to pursue the sport. Despite his father’s pivotal role in launching his career, Ronaldo has spoken candidly about their troubled relationship, shaped largely by the former soldier’s battle with alcoholism.
In a 2019 interview with Piers Morgan, the Portuguese star said: “I didn’t know my father 100 per cent.” He added: “I never spoke with him, like a normal conversation. It was hard.” Speaking to Morgan again in November, he disclosed: “One of the things that I don’t do, it’s after my father died, I’ve never been in a cemetery again.” His sister Katia Aveiro has described the harrowing circumstances surrounding their father’s burial, explaining how media and public intrusion turned their grief into chaos.
During his time at Manchester United, Ronaldo formed a close bond with Sir Alex Ferguson. At just 20 and establishing himself as a key player at Old Trafford, the young Portuguese was struggling emotionally while his father lay in hospital. Ferguson, despite having crucial fixtures approaching, offered his young star time away from the club.
Ronaldo recounted: “Probably he doesn’t remember, but I will say it because it’s a beautiful story. One day, my father was in hospital, and I was so emotional, very low. He said: ‘It will be tough because we have difficult games, but I understand your situation and I’ll leave you (out) and you can go and see your father.’ These are the most important things – apart from winning Champions Leagues, to win the Premier League, to win cups and stuff. So I have to appreciate him, because what he said to me, he always did. I have to appreciate that.”
Ronaldo’s reflection serves as a reminder of how family ties can shape even the most successful careers, revealing the complexities beneath the surface of sporting fame.
