- The mother of world-famous soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo initially wanted to “abort” him when she became pregnant.
- Although Ronaldo, who later became one of the most popular professional players in the world, found out about this, he forgave his mother and came to her aid when she suffered a stroke.
- Now she is his biggest fan and a caring grandma to his children.
Cristiano Ronaldo at the FIFA Ballon d'Or ceremony on January 13, 2014 in Zurich, Switzerland | Source: Getty Images
Cristiano Ronaldo, 38, is arguably one of the most famous and talented professional footballers in the world. Not only is Ronaldo a talented professional athlete, he has also received several awards that make him one of the most popular players among fans.
Over the course of his career, he won six of the eleven nominations he received for the Kids' Choice Awards, the Teen Choice Awards and the ESPY Awards. Ronaldo is also a Guinness World Record breaker.
Last year and the year before, he broke records for most goals in the men's international category and became the first player to score goals in five different World Cups. In addition to his countless professional achievements, Ronaldo is listed as the most famous personality on Instagram, with a whopping 612 million followers.
Ronaldo has proven to be an incredible success story throughout his life. However, if his mother, Dolores Aveiro, had not changed her mind about a major life decision, the world would not have known Ronaldo at all.
Dolores Aveiro during a press conference for her autobiography in Madrid, Spain on April 27, 2016 | Source: Getty Images
Cristiano Ronaldo's mother revealed she wanted to “abort” him and suffered health problems years later
Before the world knew the legend Ronaldo, Aveiro almost made a decision that would have ended his life before it even began. When she became pregnant with her superstar son, she confessed:
“He was a child I wanted to abort.”
Cristiano Ronaldo during the European Championship final: Portugal vs. Greece in Lisbon, Portugal on July 4, 2004 | Source: Getty Images
When doctors refused to help her terminate the pregnancy, Aveiro decided to take matters into her own hands. She explained how she resorted to vigorous exercise and drinking homemade brews made from warm ale to help with the abortion attempt.
Ronaldo and his mother have a beautiful, close and lasting relationship in which they love and support each other as mother and son through thick and thin.
However, her methods didn't work and she ended up giving birth to a baby boy who would soon become one of the world's best soccer players of all time. Aveiro revealed that things didn't go according to her original plan:
“God didn’t want that to happen and I was blessed by it.”
When Aveiro was asked what her famous son thought after learning what happened to him, she said that he could joke about it, also implying that Ronaldo ultimately forgave her. Aveiro revealed about her son's reaction:
“When he found out, he said to me, 'Look, Mom, you wanted to have an abortion, and now I'm the one pulling the strings in the house.'
Years after choosing Ronaldo and with his star on the rise, Aveiro was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2007. As a result, she had to have a lump removed from one of her breasts in the summer of that same year.
Dolores Aveiro at a Portuguese Cup match in Almada, Portugal on October 18, 2019 | Source: Getty Images
She reportedly received radiation therapy following the surgery and took medication to keep the chronic illness at bay. Fortunately, she had beaten the disease, but her health problems returned.
Dolores Aveiro at the world premiere of “Ronaldo” in London, England on November 9, 2015 | Source: Getty Images
Before traveling to Italy to celebrate her son's 35th birthday in 2019, Aveiro admitted she had been suffering from new health complications. Regarding her health update, she revealed:
“I had surgery on another breast in Madrid, had radiotherapy and am now fighting for my life.”
Although Aveiro is going through a difficult time due to her health problems, fortunately she had her loving son by her side throughout. In fact, in 2009, after managing to beat cancer, Ronaldo donated an impressive £100,000 to the hospital that saved his mother's life so they could set up a cancer center.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Dolores Aveiro at the FIFA Ballon d'Or ceremony on January 12, 2015 in Zurich, Switzerland | Source: Getty Images
Another media outlet reported that he also donated £120,000 to the Portugal-based care center that looked after Aveiro after her diagnosis. In 2020, Ronaldo dropped everything to go to Dr. Nelio Mendonca rushed to hospital to assist his mother in Madeira when she suffered a stroke.
According to sources, Aveiro's stroke was caused by a blood clot that blocked a blood vessel in the brain (the most common form of stroke). Aveiro was then treated with a mechanical thrombectomy and was said to have been resting after recovery, although she and her family had to wait for further tests to assess her condition.
Dolores Aveiro is her son's biggest supporter and a loving grandma to his children
Everything Aveiro and the professional athlete have been through together has only strengthened their close bond as mother and son. They have come a long way since Aveiro almost made that fateful decision that changed the entire course of their lives and that of their son.
Just as Ronaldo was there for his mother during her health struggles, Aveiro was there for her son, cheering him on tirelessly at his games, such as when she cried tears of joy when he scored two of the four goals in his team's win against Newcastle United. However, she sometimes tends to get very nervous about his games, but her loving son assures her that everything will be fine:
“It's just a football game, nothing else… Take it easy. No worries. No worries …”
In addition to supporting her son and his endeavors, Aveiro is also a loving grandmother. She previously spoke about one of her grandchildren (Ronaldo's first son) and said this about him:
“He has no one but his father and me…”
On her social media page, viewers will find a wealth of adorable pictures of Aveiro spending time with her grandchildren. Several posts in which she ensures that her grandchildren are well fed or takes protective care of them show how happy Aveiro is when she is with her beloved family, especially her grandchildren.
Aveiro now showers her grandchildren with the same love and affection that she showered Ronaldo and his siblings in their childhood.
Ronaldo and his mother have a beautiful, close and lasting relationship in which they love and support each other as mother and son through thick and thin.