Cristiano Ronaldo’s marriage to Georgina Rodríguez has renewed interest in the football star’s carefully guarded private life.
The 41-year-old married Rodríguez in a private civil ceremony in Cascais, Portugal, on Tuesday, August 11. Reuters and AP confirmed it was Ronaldo’s first marriage after nearly a decade together. Their five children attended.
Irina Shayk before Georgina
Russian model Irina Shayk was Ronaldo’s longest public partner before Rodríguez. They dated from 2010 until January 2015 and drew intense media attention. Reports described their split as amicable. Shayk later had a daughter, Lea, with actor Bradley Cooper.
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Ronaldo met Rodríguez in 2016 at a Gucci store in Madrid, where she worked as a sales assistant. They went public at the Best FIFA Football Awards in January 2017, with Cristiano Jr. alongside them.
Ronaldo’s Five children and unanswered questions
Ronaldo has five living children. He welcomed Cristiano Jr., now 16, in June 2010 in San Diego while dating Shayk. He has never publicly identified the boy’s mother.
“It is with great joy and emotion that I inform I have recently become father to a baby boy,” Ronaldo said. “As agreed with the baby’s mother, who prefers to have her identity kept confidential, my son will be under my exclusive guardianship.”
Asked about speculation on The Jonathan Ross Show in 2015, he said: “People speculate I was with this girl or another, or there was a surrogate mother.”
He added: “Some points in life are private and people have to respect the privacy.” Ronaldo has said he will tell his son the truth privately.
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Twins Eva Maria and Mateo, nine, arrived in the United States on June 8, 2017, via surrogate. Their mother remains unidentified. Portuguese media reported the births while Ronaldo stayed with Portugal at the Confederations Cup. The Portuguese Football Federation praised him for remaining with the squad.
After Portugal’s exit, Ronaldo confirmed the births and wrote: “So happy to be able to hold the two new loves of my life.”
Gulf News cited a Daily Mail report saying court documents from La Mesa, near San Diego, described laboratory conception and a surrogate birth. Ronaldo’s representatives declined to explain his decision.
Georgina becomes mother to all five
Rodríguez entered the family when Cristiano Jr. was six. Five months after the twins arrived, she gave birth to Alana Martina on November 12, 2017. The couple welcomed Bella Esmeralda in April 2022.
Bella was a twin. Her brother Ángel died at birth, a loss the couple later discussed publicly.
Rodríguez has described all five as her children. “Being a mother is the best thing that’s ever happened to me and my absolute priority,” she told Vogue Mexico in 2024. “Every moment I spend with my family is when I’m happiest and most realised.”
Netflix launched I Am Georgina in 2022, documenting their family life. All five children attended the Cascais ceremony and, according to Gulf News, appeared to make up the entire guest list.
