6 Details About World Cup Superstar Cristiano Ronaldo — Including His Secret Baby Mama & The Multiple Sexual Assault Allegations Against Him
He's dated Bradley Cooper's baby-mama and there were assault allegations against him.
Getty Images World Cup fever is in full swing.
For many Americans, our knowledge of the international soccer world seems to include David Beckham — and well, that's about it.
In the States, it's known as soccer, but internationally it is called football, which can make things slightly confusing when we refer to our American version of football.
Internationally, however, it's the biggest sport in the world, and one of it's most famous athletes is Cristiano Ronaldo.
His Instagram following alone has 130 million people, surpassing even Becks himself. Considering David Beckham gets to attend royal weddings though, we can assume he's probably not too bitter about that anyway.
Cristiano Ronaldo originally hails from the city of Funchal in Portugal, and like David Beckham, he is not only renowned for his athletic talents, but also his striking good looks.
Cristiano is making waves once again at the 2018 FIFA World Cup over in Russia.
While he might not be as well-known in the United States yet, considering he's one of the most famous athletes in the world — even hanging out with celebs like Kim Kardashian — here are six things you should know about the Portuguese soccer star:
1. His team transfer was the most expensive in history.
The 33-year-old plays professionally for the popular team Real Madrid, and for the international World Cup games, he plays for his home country of Portugal's national team. Much like fellow soccer stud David Beckham, Ronald was a part of England's Manchester United team prior to transferring to Real Madrid.
While Beckham's transfer offer was a staggering 25 million Euros, Ronaldo's ultimately became the most expensive in history at 80 million Euros, more than three times the amount of money Real Madrid paid for David Beckham.
Needless to say, Ronaldo's a hot commodity in the world of international soccer.
2. He is one of the highest-paid athletes in the world.
In 2016, Forbes ranked Cristiano Ronaldo as the highest-paid athlete in the world, but he has consistently been among the top few for years now.
In addition to his earnings as a soccer player, Ronaldo has also had many endorsements deals with major brands. Some of his endorsements include Nike, TAGHuer, and PokerStars.
He also does work with important charities as well, including Save the Children.
3. The identity of his eldest child's baby mama is unknown.
Cristiano's son, who he named Cristiano Ronaldo Jr., was born in June of 2010. The secrecy surrounding the situation though is what's most complicated.
Cristiano was said to have had a one-night-stand with an American waitress during a visit to Los Angeles. After discovering she was pregnant and Ronaldo agreeing to a DNA test, the woman was said to have been paid off for 10 million Euros.
The deal assured that the woman's identity would remain secret and that Cristiano would retain full custody of the child. However, there are also rumors that he sought out a surrogate mother in order to have a child of his own.
Cristiano later went on to have twins Eva and Mateo via surrogate in 2017.
4. He is currently dating model Georgina Rodriguez.
Ronaldo met the Spanish beauty back in 2016. It's been said that the two had met at an event in Madrid for the high-end fashion line Dolce and Gabbana.
In 2017, the couple welcomed the birth of their daughter, Alana. It seems that the relationship is still going strong too, with the couple frequently posting pictures together on their individual Instagram feeds.
5. He was in a 5-year relationship with Bradley Cooper's baby mama Irina Shayk.
Irina and Bradley might be a couple now and proud parents to a baby girl, but prior to that, the Victoria Secret model was in a 5-year relationship with Cristiano.
The couple met back in 2010 on the set of a shoot for Armani. According to reports, Ronaldo (a notorious ladies man who has been linked to other celebs like Kim Kardashian and Paris Hilton) was sending flirtatious texts to various women around the world, leading to an eventual break-up.
6. There are multiple sexual assault allegations against him.
In 2017, German news site Spiegel Online had reported that an American woman accused the soccer star of rape during an evening in 2009 at the Palms Hotel in Las Vegas and that she was eventually paid off by lawyers.
The soccer star's staff, however, quickly went on the defense, stating that, “the alleged victim refuses to come forward and confirm the veracity of the accusation."
"The newspaper has based their entire narrative on documents which are unsigned and where the parties are not identified, on emails between lawyers whose content does not concern Cristiano Ronaldo and whose authenticity he cannot verify, and on an alleged letter that is said to have been sent to him by the so-called victim, but was never received by Cristiano."
"The accusations reported by the Der Spiegel are false, and Cristiano Ronaldo will do everything in his power to react against these. An accusation of an act of rape is disgusting and outraging, and he will not allow it to hang over his reputation.”
This wasn't the athlete's first brush with such allegations, however. Back in 2005, Ronaldo was arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting two women in London. Citing "insufficient evidence" though, the charges were dropped.
Jill Zwarensteyn is a writer and Michigan native. When she's not writing, Jill enjoys Zumba class, travel, and referencing classic Seinfeld episodes.