"I have many gay friends" - When Rihanna made bizarre claim after meeting Cristiano Ronaldo

Pop singer Rihanna bizarrely suggested that Cristiano Ronaldo is gay after meeting the Portuguese icon at a concert in 2013.

Ronaldo, who is said to be a massive fan of the Barbadian singer, attended one of her concerts 10 years ago. The two even met after the program, with the then-Real Madrid superstar later taking to Twitter to share a picture, in which both were in a jolly mood.

The picture led to rumors about a possible romance between Ronaldo and Rihanna, although the former was dating Russian model Irina Shayk then. As the media continued to speculate about the nature of their relationship, the pop star oddly implied that the former Manchester United superstar is gay.

"I have many gay friends and I support sexual diversity," Rihanna was quoted as saying by Argentinian daily La Nacion.

Rihanna's response to the question about the nature of her relationship with Ronaldo left the player's fans confused as the Portuguese was with Irina Shayk at the time. Although he has since broken up with the model, there has been nothing to suggest that the now Al-Nassr captain is homosexual.

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Cristiano Ronaldo is in a relationship with Georgina Rodriguez

Cristiano Ronaldo reportedly ended his five-year relationship with Irina Shayk in January 2015. He then met Georgina Rodriguez at a Gucci retail store in Madrid in 2016. The pair has since been in a relationship, settled in Saudi Arabia, where the forward currently plays.

Georgina Rodriguez, who has made a name for herself as a model and influencer, is the biological mother to two of Cristiano Ronaldo's children. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner had his son in 2010, with the identity of the child's mother kept under wraps. He then had a pair of twins via surrogacy in 2017, not long after he began his relationship with his current girlfriend.

Rodriguez gave birth to the couple's first daughter five months afterward. They were expecting a pair of twins in April last year, but the male child died during childbirth, while the female baby survived. Cristiano Ronaldo thus has five children in total.

It's worth noting that Ronaldo and Rodriguez are yet to tie the knot despite being in a relationship for eight years. The latter recently said that she already feels married to the Portuguese icon.

"I really couldn't be more married," Rodriguez said on 'I Am Georgina'. "Cristiano and I are married in the eyes of God, that's all that matters to me. He protects us and keeps us together."

Rodriguez added that the couple could soon have a formal wedding.