Football legend Cristiano Ronaldo once again proved that he is down to earth and wants to give back to those who helped him.
Ronaldo revealed how growing up as a hungry child on the Portuguese island of Madeira he used to beg for hamburgers. A woman named Edna and two other kind-hearted ladies from McDonald’s would help feed him, and the footballer was so touched by this that he still hasn’t forgotten about them. Now he’s vowed to find the three women and thank them properly for all that they’ve done.
Ronaldo opened up about his childhood in an interview
During his interview with English journalist Piers Morgan, 34-year-old athlete Ronaldo revealed details about his childhood that hadn’t been heard before.
"We were a little hungry. We have a McDonald's next to the stadium, we knocked on the door and asked if they had any burgers. There was always Edna and two other girls. I never found them again," Ronaldo said during his interview with Morgan on ITV.
“I asked people in Portugal, they closed the McDonalds, but if this interview can help find them, I would be so happy," the football star said. "I want to invite them to Turin or Lisbon to come have dinner with me because I want to give something back." Morgan later on tweeted that they “may have found Edna.”
The football star wants to find the women from McDonald's who fed him when he was hungry
During the interview, Ronaldo was also shown a video of his late father
During the interview, Ronaldo was shown a video clip of his late father, filmed a year before he died in 2004. Ronaldo was so moved by the video that he broke down crying. His father Dinis died at the age of only 52 due to an alcohol-related liver condition.
The athlete couldn't keep his tears at bay
The fourth and youngest child in his family, Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro was born in 1985 in São Pedro on Madeira, but he grew up in Santo António. His mother was a cook while his father was a gardener and part-time kit man; he has an older brother and two older sisters. A little known fact is that the future footballer's second given name ‘Ronaldo’ was an homage to Ronald Reagan, who was the President of the US at the time.
Ronaldo grew up poor, having to share the same room with all three of his siblings. His football career started early on: he was already playing for the amateur team Andorinha from 1992 to 1995. He then spent two years with Nacional, and in 1997 he signed up with Sporting CP at the age of just 12. No matter how successful Ronaldo was, however, he never forgot his roots or the fact that he grew up poor and was always hungry.
You can watch the interview here
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