Portuguese football player Cristiano Ronaldo (38 years old) grew up in poverty. As a child, Ronaldo used to have to beg for food to bring home for his family. Currently, it is estimated that the famous player has a fortune of more than 900 million USD. Ronaldo is currently a solid support for his biological mother and three siblings.
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 to appear in the sports world.
If we look back at Ronaldo’s starting point, everyone will be surprised because he has had an unbelievable journey in life. Ronaldo grew up in a poor family, his father was a heavy drinker. Ronaldo’s family used to live in the Sao Pedro residential area in the municipality of Funchal, Madeira, Portugal.
Little Ronaldo used to have to sweep trash and beg for food
Little Ronaldo once took a job cleaning streets in a residential area to be able to support his family with a small amount of expenses to cover daily life. Little Ronaldo that day even begged for food to bring home for his family so that the whole family could have a fuller stomach.
Ronaldo is the youngest child in a family of four children. Ronaldo’s mother – Mrs. Dolores dos Santos – felt very panicked when she found out she was pregnant for the fourth time. Due to the family’s difficult circumstances, she decided to go to the doctor to abort the pregnancy, but the doctor The doctor refused to do this.
The miserable mother, whose husband was a heavy alcoholic and had three young children to raise, had to find many ways to abort her pregnancy. She drank a lot of wine and jogged until she was exhausted, but everything failed and… Ronaldo was born in 1985.
Ronaldo’s father – Mr. Jose Dinis Aveiro – was a heavy drinker, there was not a day when he was not drunk. Mr. Jose makes a living as a gardener, but the job is unstable. Mr. Jose himself also has many psychological problems. Everything in the family puts the burden on the shoulders of the wife and mother – Mrs. Dolores.
In previous interviews, Ronaldo has always proudly recounted the difficult journey he has gone through. When he saw that his family was often hungry, little Ronaldo soon learned to take on a cleaning job in a residential area to have some extra money to help his mother. He often waits outside food stores to ask for food that is out of stock and about to be thrown away by the restaurant owner.
The torment of an alcoholic father
Overcoming all the difficulties at the starting point, Ronaldo has achieved peak success in the sports world. He not only has a successful career and international reputation, but also knows how to build a huge fortune for himself. What hurt Ronaldo the most was that his biological father could never witness the great success his son achieved.
The father soon passed away from liver failure in 2005. Although he could not witness the glory that his youngest son achieved, right from the moment he saw Ronaldo take the first steps in his football career, his father knew that his son would become a famous figure in the football world.
Mr. Jose soon affirmed to a team of reporters who came to interview him that he was very proud of Ronaldo. Only later did Ronaldo learn that his father had agreed to participate in an interview when he had not yet become a football star.
Many years later, when he learned about this interview, Ronaldo was very moved, he said: “I never knew about the interview they did with my father. It’s unbelievable. I felt proud of myself early on, when I first started my career as a professional footballer. I was very emotional.
To be honest, I don’t understand my father very well. He was a drunkard, I could never really have a conversation with him, not even a normal conversation. I find it very difficult to face my father.”
Even though his childhood was difficult, Ronaldo never felt miserable when recalling those days. He grew up well and was a man attached to his family. Ronaldo is very close to his mother and three siblings. The famous player has a good relationship with his relatives.
Career success is at its peak, but family is number 1
Since the age of 14, Ronaldo has stopped studying in high school to officially pursue the path of becoming a professional football player.
After a successful playing career, now, at the age of 38, Ronaldo is on the list of the richest sports stars in the world. He is earning about 200 million USD/year while playing for Al Nassr club in Saudi Arabia.
Besides his successful sports career, Ronaldo is also a social network star and a famous figure in world popular culture. The attraction he creates to the international media and public is huge. Thanks to that, Ronaldo earns large sums of money from business activities, advertising contracts and cooperation with brands.
Currently, according to some financial news, Ronaldo has a fortune of more than 900 million USD. The possibility of Ronaldo officially becoming a USD billionaire one day is entirely possible.
Ronaldo owns expensive real estate in many cities around the world. Not to mention his brand value and image in the market will bring huge long-term economic benefits to the U40 player. The potential for Ronaldo to continue making a fortune even after retiring is clear. Ronaldo is at the level of a star with enduring charisma, despite the ups and downs in his playing career.
Despite having a dreamy level of fame and fortune, Ronaldo always tries to keep himself realistic in life. He always upholds family values. Many times in interviews, Ronaldo has affirmed that family and relatives are the most important thing 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.
Recently, Ronaldo revealed that he took his eldest son Cristiano Jr (12 years old) to visit the house where Ronaldo’s family lived when he was a child. Little Cristiano Jr. was very surprised by what he saw: a small, cramped house, very different from the luxurious villas he had stayed in.
“My son was very shocked and couldn’t believe that I used to live 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 need to give my little son,” Ronaldo shared.
