Cristiano Ronaldo's family forced to close down restaurant amidst COVID-19 crisis
Cristiano Ronaldo's family announced that their restaurant, Casa Aveiro, had to be shut down due to the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic. The Gramado-based restaurant in Brazil was run by his mother Dolores Aveiro and sister Kátia and specialized in Portuguese cuisine. The food was said to be primarily inspired by Funchal, Madeira Island — where Cristiano Ronaldo hails from.
On an Instagram post from the hotel's official account, Cristiano Ronaldo's family informed their customers of this unfortunate closure. The message read,
"We inform (customers), friends and followers that we have closed our activities in Gramado. Soon, we will be announcing news. Continue to honour us by following us here on Instagram and stay on top of everything that the Casa Aveiro restaurant is preparing for you."
It was confirmed by Cristiano Ronaldo's in-law Alexandre Bertoluci Júnior that this decision was influenced by recent developments regarding the virus outbreak. The restaurant had been closed for over two months due to the lockdown that has been put in place. Speaking to Portuguese newspaper Correio do Povo, Alexandre said that there would be a new venture once the situation gets better.
Cristiano Ronaldo, the businessman
The Portuguese icon's achievements on the pitch have been well-documented. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner has seen the success that very few footballers can even achieve. He is the highest scorer in Real Madrid's illustrious history and the all-time highest scorer in the UEFA Champions League.
However, off the pitch, Cristiano Ronaldo has a host of other business ventures and has built an empire based on the CR7 brand.
After a 17-year-old trophy-laden playing career, Cristiano Ronaldo firmly has the business world in his sights and has already established several different interests. The former Real Madrid star has his line of fragrances, types of denim and clothing, underwear, digital agencies, footwear, hotels, gyms, restaurants, and more.
In his own words, Cristiano Ronaldo admits being obsessed with success. In a chat with SPORTbible, he said,
"I'm not obsessed with training, I'm obsessed with success, which is completely different."
However, despite his hunger for success off the pitch, he also spoke about his love for the game. Cristiano Ronaldo commented,
"I still love football. I love to entertain the fans and the people who love Cristiano. It doesn't matter the age, it's all about mentality."
The former Manchester United star returned to full first-team training with Juventus ahead of a potential Serie A restart. The Portuguese was expected to spend the first two weeks of his return to Turin in quarantine after his international travel. Upon its completion, he returned to the Juventus training centre after an absence of over 60 days.
Juventus' last match prior to the break was a 2-0 win over Inter Milan in early March at home, albeit behind closed doors. Cristiano Ronaldo assisted the opener from Aaron Ramsey in the 57th minute. The Welshman then went on to set up Argentine forward Paulo Dybala who scored Juventus' second of the night.
They now await the league restart as Juventus have to defend a one-point lead at the top in the thrilling Scudetto race.