Football News
The reason behind Cristiano Ronaldo's very emotional celebration of his AFC Champions League goal
Cristiano Ronaldo caused great emotion by leading Al Nassr to victory against Al Rayyan (2-1) in the AFC Champions League.
Ronaldo, who scored his first goal in the competition this season, doubled his side's advantage in the 78th minute with a spectacular curling left-footed shot. Sadio Mané opened the scoring just before the break.
The 39-year-old celebrated his goal by looking up to the sky, in tribute to his late father, José Dinis Aveiro, who would have been 71 that day. After the match, Ronaldo said: “This goal has a special meaning today. I wish my dad was here because it's his birthday. » He also added: “It was a tough game, but we were ready and we managed to win. I still love playing, but I know my time on the field is limited. »
Ronaldo's father died in 2005, due to alcoholism and liver failure, when Ronaldo was just 20 years old. José Dinis Aveiro was therefore unable to witness his son's many successes, including his five Champions League titles, his five Ballons d'Or and Portugal's victory at Euro 2016.
Ronaldo has in the past expressed his sadness at not being able to share these moments with his father, explaining in an interview that he never had a real relationship because of the latter's alcohol problems.