Cristiano Ronaldo Vowed Not To Do 1 Thing After His Father’s Death, and He’s Stuck to His Promise to This Day: When He Died, His Son Didn’t Attend the Funeral Cristiano Ronaldo, a global football icon, shared an emotional tribute to his late father, Jose Dinis Aveiro, who battled alcoholism and poverty after serving in African wars. Despite a difficult relationship, his father ignited Cristiano’s passion for football, leading him to vow abstinence from alcohol after his father’s death from cirrhosis. Ronaldo now keeps his father’s ashes with him as a source of inspiration.

• Cristiano Ronaldo shared a tribute to his father, Jose Dinis Aveiro, on Father’s Day.
• Jose Dinis Aveiro was a veteran of wars in Africa, worked as a municipal gardener and club economo, and struggled with alcoholism due to war trauma and poverty.
• Despite his father’s struggles, he introduced young Cristiano to football and instilled a love for the sport.
• Cristiano was named after Ronald Reagan, his father’s favorite actor and then-US President.
• His mother, Maria Dolores Aveiro, considered abortion due to extreme poverty but decided to keep Cristiano.
• Jose Dinis Aveiro died in 2005 from cirrhosis of the liver at age 51.
• Following his father’s death, Cristiano vowed never to consume alcohol, a promise he has kept, contributing to his longevity in the sport.
• Cristiano keeps his father’s ashes in a private chapel near his home, alongside those of his prematurely deceased son, Angel.
• Ronaldo states he talks to his father and son, who he believes are on his side and help him be a better person and parent.