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Mohamed Salah on his footballing idol: "Ronaldo made me love football"

Long before he was shattering Premier League records and lighting up Anfield, Mohamed Salah was just a young boy in Egypt falling deeply in love with the game. Like millions of aspiring young athletes across the world, his eyes were glued to the television, mesmerized by the magic of Ronaldo.

In a candid reflection on his early passion for the sport, the Liverpool superstar openly shared his lifelong admiration for the legendary forward. "Ronaldo is Ronaldo, I love him," Salah explained, revealing that watching the icon play was one of the defining reasons he was drawn to football in the first place. As a child, he admired everything about the striker—his electrifying style, captivating flair, and sheer joy on the pitch.

That childhood inspiration clearly paid off. Today, having cemented his own status among the modern greats of world football, the Egyptian King still remembers the spark that started it all. For Salah, Ronaldo was more than just a superstar on screen; he was the ultimate idol who inspired a young kid from Nagrig to reach the absolute summit of the beautiful game.

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The loss that shaped Ronaldo

It was September 2005 when the world lost José Dinis Aveiro, the father of a young footballer named Cristiano Ronaldo. At just 20 years old, Ronaldo faced one of the most painful moments of his life—the death of his dad due to liver failure linked to alcoholism.

Long before the glitz of Ballon d'Ors and Champions League triumphs, Ronaldo’s early life in Madeira was far from perfect. His father, José, served as a soldier and worked as a municipal gardener, often struggling with financial hardship and personal demons. Despite their complex relationship, Ronaldo has often spoken about the deep emotional bond they shared—and the guilt he felt for not being able to help his father overcome his addiction.

The loss hit Ronaldo hard. He was in the early stages of his career at Manchester United, far from home, trying to balance rising fame with private grief. In interviews over the years, he’s admitted that his father’s death was a turning point, one that deepened his determination to succeed. “I wanted to make him proud,” Ronaldo once said, “even after he was gone.”

Since then, Ronaldo has carried his father’s memory with him, on his sleeve, literally. He’s dedicated goals, trophies, and milestones to José, transforming personal sorrow into motivation. His journey from a humble upbringing in Portugal to becoming one of football’s greatest icons is not just a story of talent, but of resilience shaped by loss.

Today, Ronaldo honors his father not just through words, but through a life lived with discipline, avoiding alcohol, staying committed to fitness, and raising his own children with the values he wished his father could have embraced. In many ways, José’s story became a cautionary tale that continues to influence Ronaldo’s choices, long after the final whistle.

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La douloureuse épreuve de Cristiano Ronaldo et Georgina Rodríguez

En avril 2022, le monde du football et le grand public ont été sous le choc d'une triste nouvelle. Dans un message empreint d'une profonde émotion, Cristiano Ronaldo et sa compagne Georgina Rodríguez ont annoncé la disparition prématurée de leur nouveau-né.

Le couple attendait des jumeaux, mais lors de l'accouchement, seul un des deux bébés a survécu. Leur petit garçon est décédé, laissant la famille dans une peine immense. Dans leur déclaration commune, ils ont exprimé toute leur détresse en qualifiant cet événement de « plus grande douleur que des parents puissent ressentir ».

Au milieu de ce drame, le couple a pu trouver un mince filet de lumière grâce à la venue au monde de leur fille. Comme l'ont souligné Georgina et la star portugaise, seule la naissance de leur petite fille leur a apporté la force nécessaire pour traverser cette épreuve avec un minimum d'espoir et de réconfort. Cette tragédie a suscité une vague massive de soutien et de condoléances à travers le monde entier de la part de fans, de coéquipiers et d'anonymes touchés par leur deuil.

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