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Cristiano Ronaldo lost his father when he was just 20 years old, two years after he completed his sensational transfer from Sporting to Manchester United. Former Portugal manager Luis Felipe Scolari has revealed how he broke the sad news to the attacker at the time.
According to the tactician, the news reached the Portugal camp ahead of a clash with Russia in September 2005 and nobody knew how to share it with Ronaldo. Felipe Scolari, however, summoned the courage to break it to the attacker in what was indeed an emotional moment.
The former Portugal coach told Sportsmail:
"It was very hard. It was the moment that created a bond between us, a bond that surpasses the coach-athlete relationship. When the news got to us, before a game against Russia, nobody knew how to tell him and nobody wanted to. So I told them I would do it as I knew how it was to lose a parent. I had lost mine a few years before."
Despite hearing the sad news, Cristiano Ronaldo didn't break down. The Manchester United superstar even featured in the clash with Russia the following day, which ended in a goalless draw before returning to Portugal.
Luis Felipe Scolari provided more insights into how things unfolded for the great Portuguese forward.
"It was very sad, but it’s the kind of moment that connects us as friends. The next day, Cristiano played a marvelous game and returned to Portugal. He asked to play. He said: ‘I can’t do anything for my father today, so I’ll play tomorrow and then I’ll go.’"
What caused Cristiano Ronaldo's father's death?
The attacker's father, Jose Dinis Aveiro, died on 6 September 2005, in London, United Kingdom. He tragically passed away due to liver failure after battling alcoholism for several years.
At the time of his death, the Portuguese was 52 years old, in a period when his son was gradually making a transition into superstar status. Reacting to his father's death, Ronaldo sadly said during an interview with Piers Morgan on ITV in 2019.
"I really don’t know my father 100 per cent. He was a drunk person. I never spoke with him, like a normal conversation. It was hard. To be the number one and he don’t see nothing, and he don’t see to receive awards, to see what I became.”
Ronaldo shares a very close relationship with his son, Cristiano Ronaldo Jr.
