‘I wish you were alive’ — Cristiano Ronaldo dedicates Champions League goal to late father with tear-jerking message

Cristiano Ronaldo paid tribute to his late father following his goal in the AFC Champions League.

Al-Nassr star Cristiano Ronaldo dedicated his latest Champions League goal to his late father, Jose Diniz Aveiro, who would have turned 71 today. 

The Portugal international lost his father in 2005, while he was just coming up in the sport to heartbreaking circumstances, and he has always been upfront about the impact his father’s life and death had on his career. 

Jose Diniz Aveiro’s sad passing 

The patriarch of the Aviero family was born on this day in 1953. He grew up in modest circumstances and was a municipal worker/gardener. These humble beginnings helped instil the principles of hard work and dedication in Cristiano Ronaldo. 

He was also an avid sports lover, and he got his son into the sport, taking him to CF Andorinha, a small club currently in the sixth tier of Portuguese football, where he worked part-time. 

Jose’s passion for the sport was transmitted to his son; however, his alcoholism drove a wedge between them as he grew older, as Ronaldo revealed in a 2019 interview with Piers Morgan, relayed by People. 

The drinking habits eventually claimed his life, and he passed away on September 6, 2005, aged 51, due to cirrhosis, a liver disease. 

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Ronaldo dedicates goal to his father 

Ronaldo has previously expressed his sadness over his father’s inability to witness his success due to his passing. 

The 39-year-old has gone on to become the greatest footballer in his nation’s history, a feat his father would undoubtedly be proud of. His penchant for goalscoring has earned him all of this acclaim he wishes he could share with his dad, and after scoring in the 76th minute to help Al-Nassr beat Al-Rayyan, he pointed both his index fingers at the sky, looking sombre. 

Following the game, he explained that he dedicated the goal to his father, who would have celebrated his birthday today were he still alive. 

“Today’s goal has a different flavour… I wish my father was alive because today is his birthday,” he shared, per Fabrizio Romano.

Meanwhile, the goal took Cristiano’s tally to seven goals in the AFC Champions League in only nine games.