RONALDO’S GROWING BROOD
A seven-year-old, newborn twins and rumours of another baby on the way
CRADLING one of his newborn twins, he grins down at his eldest son, who beams up at him while balancing the other tiny tot on his lap. With a famous footballer father and a big brother to watch over them, the month-old twins truly are “blessed” – as their dad captioned the sweet snap.
Cristiano Ronaldo recently shared the picture with his 105 million Instagram followers while on holiday with his newly expanded brood. But there was someone conspicuously absent from the photo: the 32-year-old Real Madrid hero’s girlfriend, Georgina Rodriguez (22), who’s rumoured to be five months pregnant with Ronaldo’s fourth child.
Ronaldo’s growing collection of kids has had critics flooding his social media feeds with nasty comments.
“Did he have these and pay the mom to go away again?” one wrote, while another said bluntly, “It’s weird to me that this man can’t or doesn’t want to find a woman to have a family with the natural way.”
And plenty of commenters pointed out the obvious too: why ask someone else to bear your children when you’re in a committed relationship with a beautiful woman?
So just what is going on in Ronaldo’s life? We take a look.
THE ‘SUPERBABY’
If rumours are to be believed, Spanish model Georgina is carrying the newest addition to the four-time Ballon D’Or winner’s brood. According to the tabloids this is no ordinary kid but a genetically engineered “superbaby”. Georgina was recently snapped sporting a little bump under her tight grey dress while on holiday in Corsica with Ronaldo.
As the pair lounged on a yacht, Ronaldo stripped off to his skivvies to dip in the island’s crystal-blue waters. But Georgina – who’s posted plenty of pics of herself on Instagram in skimpy bikinis that showed off her washboard belly – uncharacteristically kept her togs on.
And that belly bulge, as some observers commented, looked rather more substantial than a “food baby” – the consequence of a large lunch.
Britain’s The Sun newspaper reported Georgina is “expecting a superbaby” after a visit to a DNA clinic in Madrid earlier this year “for detailed DNA tests to see if the couple are compatible”.
Ronaldo was reportedly seen at the same clinic a few days later.
“Georgina went to the clinic four months ago,” a source told the paper in June. “It appears they want to know what their baby may be like.”
Ronaldo has since posted a snap of himself with the brunette beauty in which they appear to be protectively cradling Gina’s tummy, sending fans into a frenzy. But Ronaldo’s mom, Dolores Santos, has said, “It’s nonsense. It’s just a hand on the belly. As far as I know Cristiano will not be a father again.”
But not long after that a Portuguese newspaper reported Georgina, who was first seen out and about with the footballer at the end of 2016, had told friends she’s five months along with a baby girl.
“They’re very happy,” a source close to the couple said. “Everyone adores Georgina and is satisfied with this relationship.”
Georgina also clearly adores Ronaldo’s mini-me, Cristiano Jnr (7). She’s often seen with a protective hand around him and the youngster seems at ease with her.
THE MYSTERIOUS MOMS
Like his younger siblings, Cristianinho – as his family call him – is believed to have been born via a surrogate and apparently has no idea who his mother is.
Ronaldo’s mom, Dolores, revealed in her autobiography that when she collected Cristiano Jnr in the US after his birth in 2010 her son told her, “The mom will never be known.”
Ronaldo’s sister Elma (38) says Cristiano Jnr has long stopped asking about his mom. “Once we told him she was in heaven but my brother and mom asked us not to repeat it,” she said in 2014. “We say now his mom went travelling.”
In March it emerged that Ronaldo was to be a dad again. “Cristiano and his family can’t wait to meet the new members of their clan,” an insider told The Sun.
The tots were born on 8 June. “Mateo and Eva, those are the names of Cristiano Ronaldo’s twins,” Ronaldo’s other sister, Katia (40), told Portuguese TV in June. “They were born to a surrogate mom. It’s a secret that Cristiano hasn’t yet revealed to the rest of the world.”
According to California court records obtained by Daily Mail, the twins were “conceived in a laboratory and born to a surrogate mother”. The surrogate’s name was left blank on both birth certificates
THOSE RUMOURS
Ronaldo’s been linked to some of the world’s most beautiful women, including Armani model Irina Shayk and British beauty Gemma Atkinson. But no matter who’s on his arm, he hasn’t been able to shake rumours he’s gay. Opposing teams’ fans often chant homophobic slurs when the super striker takes to the pitch. “Cristiano come out of the closet,” supporters sang when Barcelona faced Real Madrid in a 2016 La Liga game. And in a match against the same Spanish side in March, fans chanted “maricon” (“faggot”) at him. He’s also faced slurs from fellow players. Jorge Resurrección Merodio, aka Koke, of Atlético Madrid reportedly called him a “faggot” during a tussle in a game in November – to which Ronaldo allegedly replied, “Yes, a faggot with a lot of money, a**hole.”
In 2015, a French TV show went so far as to say Ronaldo was in a relationship with Moroccan kickboxer Badr Hari (32). “He takes three or four jets a week to see a friend in Morocco to cuddle,” the host declared to gasps from the audience.
Ronaldo has never spoken out about his sexuality but he’s clearly close to Hari and has shared pictures of them hanging out. In one snap Ronaldo lifts up the beefy boxer and captions the pic, “Just married. Always there to pick you up, bro.”
THE TAX ISSUES
Ronaldo, who’s worth about $400 million (R5,4 billion), was named the world’s highest-earning athlete in the past year – but he may have to part with a chunk of his cash if he loses a tax fraud case under way in Spain.
The athlete has been accused of using a shell company in the Virgin Islands to hide his image-rights income between 2011 and 2014 – charges his camp have denied.
“There’s no offshore structure for evading taxes,” his agent has said. “He’s never had a tax problem.”
If he’s found guilty, Ronaldo could face jail time. And his happy – if complicated – family structure could be in for a tough time.