Dolores Aveiro, the mother of Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo, revealed for the first time details about the meeting between her son, known as "the Rocket from Madeira," and Argentine star Lionel Messi at the Ballon d'Or ceremony in 2017. In a press interview, Dolores Aveiro discussed the encounter that took place alongside the 2017 Ballon d'Or awards, between her grandson and then-Barcelona star Lionel Messi.
The Spanish newspaper "Marca" quoted Dolores as saying: "Cristiano Junior's reaction was shocking when he met Messi face to face. He shouted, saying: 'It can't be him, he's short.'" She added, "I quickly tried to contain the situation and told Cristiano Junior: 'Look, it's Messi.' Ronaldo also hurried to encourage his son to greet the player."
Recently, Manchester United officially completed the transfer of Ronaldo from Juventus, marking his return to Old Trafford in a deal slightly exceeding 20 million euros. The English club issued a statement confirming, "Manchester United is pleased to announce Cristiano Ronaldo's signing of a two-year contract with the option to extend for another year." Ronaldo joined United in 2003 at the age of 18 from Sporting Lisbon and spent six seasons with them, scoring 118 goals in 292 matches, winning the Premier League title three times and his first Champions League title in 2008, before adding four more with Real Madrid, where he won his first Ballon d'Or that same year and subsequently four more with the royal club.
