Cristiano Ronaldo is the biggest name in soccer around the world with his on-field performances and his off-field larger-than-life persona. Just like any other successful athlete, there is a support team working behind the scenes that should be credited to the said athlete. In the case of Ronaldo, one of the main supporting pillars is her mother, Maria Dolores dos Santos Viveiros da Aveiro.

Ronaldo has always been open about his humble beginnings from the small Portuguese island of Madeira to the grandest stage of them all. During those times, Dolores Averio, his mother, was a key figure in his upbringing and his journey to the first step of his soccer career, Sporting Lisbon.

The origins of Cristiano Ronaldo’s parents

Ronaldo is the youngest 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥 of Dolores Averio and José Dinis Aveiro. His father, Jose, worked multiple jobs as a municipal gardener, and a part-time kit man. Jose worked as a kit man for a local club, Andorinha. His father’s links to the club helped Ronaldo to turn out for Andorinha’s youth side.

Meanwhile, his mother, Dolores, was a cook and a key decision-maker in the life of Cristiano Ronaldo. Dolores was the one who decided that her youngest son should turn his attention away from school by dropping out in sixth grade to focus on soccer.

Ronaldo’s parents lived in Funchal, which is a small isle off the western coast of Portugal. The Aveiro family were Roman Catholics, just like the other 84% in Madeira. Ronaldo has never spoken clearly in public about his religious beliefs. However, there were certain instances where he revealed how much faith meant to him.

Ronaldo has stayed close to his religious beliefs thanks to the presence of his mother in his life. In 2011, Ronaldo mentioned in an interview that he collects crucifix necklaces to be closer to God during his games.

Both parents of Ronaldo worked hard to provide for their kids and their ambitions. Ronaldo’s ambition and talent helped the Aveiro family improve their economic condition, but it couldn’t have been possible without the monumental efforts of his parents, especially, his mother.

The tragic life of Dolores Aveiro

Dolores is currently living a luxurious life due to his son’s global success, however, the journey to success was full of tragedy and pain for the mother of Cristiano Ronaldo. To start with, Dolores had to work hard along with his husband to feed and provide for her four 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥ren. She often went without food and worked long hours to ensure that she could provide for her kids.

Ronaldo once revealed the work ethic of his mother to ensure that he could live his soccer dreams: “My mother reared me up by sacrificing her life for me. She went to bed hungry to feed me. We had no money. She worked 7 days a week and worked nights as a cleaner to buy me a pair of [soccer] boots, so I could play.”

Apart from the poor financial background, Dolores had to manage her husband, who was an alcoholic. Ronaldo’s father, who was a former soldier, grew a drinking problem when he returned from Portugal’s war with Angola. The drinking problem even led to domestic violence for Dolores.

Dolores had to suffer the fallout of war, alcoholism, and domestic violence while raising her four kids. She didn’t stop and gave her all to see Ronaldo live his dream of becoming a professional soccer player. Ronaldo broke into Sporting Lisbon side and earned a move to Manchester United but tragedy strikes again for Dolores. In 2005, Dolores’ husband suffered a liver failure that led to his death.

Dolores moved on with her life without her husband as she saw Cristiano walk the stairs to global fame and fortune with his exploits with Manchester United and Real Madrid. As Ronaldo’s fame grew, more eyeballs were drawn towards his origin. Amidst Ronaldo’s playing career, Dolores revealed that she thought about aborting Cristiano.

Dolores revealed that Cristiano was an unwanted 𝑏𝑎𝑏𝑦, but her faith in God refused her to go with the abortion. This major revelation came in her 2014 autobiography. Before the autobiography, Dolores had to fight off breast cancer in 2007. The cancer later came back in 2019, but she fought back. In 2020, Dolores suffered a stroke that hospitalized her, but again she fought back and recovered.

Dolores has seen a life of hardship, which has made her resilient to fight these medical issues later in her life. Her strong character provides immense strength to Cristiano himself, which is evident in his performances.

Where is Cristiano Ronaldo’s mom now?

Dolores stayed away from the public eye for quite a while. However, her digital presence has increased immensely since she made her social media account. Her Instagram account, @doloresaveiroofficia, has more than 2,000 posts and a following of more than four million.

At present, Ronaldo’s mother has moved to Saudi Arabia with his son after his move to Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League. She often shares behind-the-scenes footage of Ronaldo’s camp in the club and national setup. Although she lives with his son, her Instagram grid shows that she is always on the move visiting places around the world, including quite a few visits to Portugal.

Dolores is an active member of Ronaldo’s camp and stays close with Cristiano’s 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥ren, especially, Cristiano Ronaldo Jr. She grabbed the spotlight in relation to soccer when she sent an open letter to a journalist bashing Erik ten Hag’s treatment of Ronaldo at Manchester United.

Dolores is still an influential figure for Ronaldo, which was evident when it was reported that she was one of the big reasons why Cristiano ended his five-year-long relationship with Russian supermodel Irina Shayk back in 2015.

She ventured into the restaurant business before COVID-19 when she owned a restaurant in Brazil named Casa Aveiro. However, in 2020, she had to shut down the doors of the restaurant due to the pandemic. Since then, she has focused all her energy on raising her grandkids with Cristiano Ronaldo and his partner, Georgina Rodriguez.

Ronaldo has always expressed his love for his mother. He has a strong connection with her due to the hardship she had to endure to raise him. Dolores Aveiro is another bright example of a famous saying, behind every great man is a great woman and in this case, that great woman is his mother.

Source: sportsmanor.com