Cristiano Ronaldo's teary-eyed revelation about relationship with his father
Cristiano Ronaldo's career has been one of the most prominent rags to riches stories of recent times. Born in the Portuguese island of Madeira to Dolores and Dinis Aveiro, Cristiano Ronaldo overcame poverty in his younger days to become a global superstar.
Cristiano Ronaldo's struggles as a young boy are well documented. As his parents weren't very privileged, Cristiano Ronaldo had to share a room with three of his siblings. However, he has become one of the richest athletes in world football due to his hard work and determination.
While his mother Dolores has been his pillar of support, Cristiano Ronaldo's father was an alcoholic. Dinis was a war veteran and was stationed in Mozambique during the Portuguese war.
Since returning, the scars were so deep that he resorted to alcoholism, a condition that eventually led to his untimely demise in 2005.
Cristiano Ronaldo's complicated relationship with his dad
Cristiano Ronaldo's mother revealed that Dinis was never around for the family, adding that he never mistreated his children despite being an alcoholic.
"He was drunk almost every day. I never really knew him well. I would have liked him to have been around more. Although he never mistreated his children, I became his victim."
In an exclusive interview with Piers Morgan last year, Cristiano Ronaldo was shown an unseen video of his father from several years ago.
At the time, Cristiano Ronaldo had secured a move to Manchester United and made his debut for Portugal. The video left Cristiano Ronaldo teary-eyed, as his father revealed that he was proud to see him realizing his dream.
"Family friends and most people think it's amazing. I love to see my son like this. I could go to Lisbon to see the final but I get too nervous. I'll just watch it on TV. His mother is indispensable. She gives him care. She is his bodyguard and gives him 5-star care."
Cristiano Ronaldo battled tears for a while and claimed that his relationship with his father was a complicated one.
"I never saw that video. Unbelievable. I think the interview would be funny, but I didn't expect to cry. But I never saw these images. I don't know where you. I have to have these images to show my family."
"I really don’t know my father 100 per cent. He was a drunk person. I never spoke with him, like a normal conversation. It was hard. To be the number one and he don’t see nothing, and he don’t see to receive awards, to see what I became.”
Since signing for Manchester United in 2003, Cristiano Ronaldo has broken several long-standing goalscoring records. Additionally, he has won 5 UEFA Champions League trophies and Ballon d'Or awards apiece.
For Portugal, Cristiano Ronaldo is one shy of a century of goals, which would make him the only European footballer in history to achieve that feat.
With the Serie A expected to resume next month, Cristiano Ronaldo returned to team training today. The Portuguese hitman will look to return to his brilliant best and spearhead Juventus' attack in the business end of the season.