Cristiano Ronaldois taking time away from his career on the field to mourn the recentloss of his newborn son.
Manchester United confirmedon Tuesday that their star player, 37, would miss the team’s game against Liverpool that evening at Anfield stadium in Merseyside, England.
The club also confirmed on Tuesday that “a fan-led minute’s applause [would] be held in the seventh minute of the game in a tribute to the Portuguese striker and his partner Georgina.”
And in the seventh minute of the game, in honor of Ronaldo’s Jersey number, fans of both Manchester United and their competitor Liverpool F.C. took 60 seconds to pay tribute to the mourning father, with Liverpool fans singing “You’ll Never Walk Alone” from Rodgers and Hammerstein’s musicalCarousel, which has become an anthem for the squad.
On Monday, Ronaldo shared a heartbreakingInstagrampost revealing that he and his longtime girlfriendGeorgina Rodríguezlost one of their newborn twins.
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In the wake of the tragedy,soccer clubs and players sent heartfelt condolencesto the couple.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with you, Georgina and the whole family during this time,” echoed Juventus, whom the forward played for from 2018 to 2021.
Real Madrid, where Ronaldo spent nearly a decade from 2009 to 2018, issued astatementsharing their support during this difficult time, saying that the Spanish club “joins the pain of the whole family and wants to show them all our love and affection.”
Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty
Ahead of Tuesday’s game, Manchester United’s manager Ralf Rangnick said in apitchside interview shared on the team’s official site: “It once again showed that there are more important things in life than [soccer].”
He continued, “The whole team, the whole club is with him. It’s clear that he has to be where he is now with his family.”
source: people.com
