Cristiano Ronaldo boasts $1B net worth and near 1000 goals but his mother wanted to abort him because of poverty and family struggles
Cristiano Ronaldo was never going to see the light of day, thanks to his mother, Maria Dolores dos Santos Aveiro, who wanted to abort him. “He is a child that I wanted to abort,” his mother said in a 2015 Ronaldo documentary. “God didn’t want that to happen, and I was blessed because of that, and God didn’t punish me.”The Portuguese superstar knows his mother wanted to terminate the pregnancy. “He told me when he found out, ‘Look Mum, you wanted to abort, and now I’m the one who’s pulling the purse-strings in the house,’” she said via Irish Independent.The world-famous footballer has a net worth of $1.2 billion today, according to Forbes.And professionally, the 41-year-old currently plays as a center forward [striker] and captains both Saudi Pro League club Al-Nassr and the Portugal national team.Cristiano Ronaldo has scored 975 career goals with 261 assists in over 1,328 appearances. In comparison, blockbuster footballer Lionel Messi has scored 917 career goals with 414 assists in over 1,159 appearances. While Ronaldo has never won a FIFA World Cup, Messi won the tournament in 2022.Anyhow, it’s the shocking yet touching story that leaves everyone stunned – Cristiano Ronaldo’s mother never wanted him born… let’s find out more about it.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s mother Maria Dolores dos Santos Aveiro wanted to abort him due to extreme poverty and alcoholic father
The tragic story that had everyone stunned a decade ago came out through an autobiography. Ronaldo’s mother, Maria Dolores dos Santos Aveiro, wrote a candid autobiography titled Mother Courage [Mae Coragem in Portuguese] in July 2014. The book details her life and her son’s journey to football mega-stardom. “I wanted to abort, but the doctor didn’t support my decision,” the book mentions. When the doctors refused, she took matters into her own hands. She drank warm beer and ran until she collapsed. But God had other plans. Ronaldo did not attend the book launch because of work commitments. Despite knowing the abortion story, he remains fully attached to his mother. “Sometimes, Ronaldo makes fun of me and says, ‘You didn’t want me to be born. But now you see that I’m here helping all of you.’ And well, sometimes we have a laugh about that,” the global football star’s mother said in the documentary.Ronaldo’s mother married Jose Dinis Aveiro. She worked as a cook and a cleaner while raising a family of four children – Elma, Hugo, Katia, and Cristiano. Cristiano was the youngest of the family.Ronaldo has been close to his mother over the years, but his relationship with his father was strained due to alcoholism. “I cried every day,” Ronaldo said via TNT Sports. “People say we have money and cars, but we suffered. He [his father, Jose Dinis Aveiro] would drink nearly every day. It frustrates me that he was never able to see my successes.”His father passed away in Sept. 2005 at the age of 52 due to liver failure. Ronaldo was just 20 years old at the time.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s mother raises Portugal footballer’s son Cristiano Ronald Jr
A Channels Television host recounted a story from July 2014 about Ronaldo’s mother, Maria Dolores dos Santos Aveiro – sharing in her autobiography that she considered aborting her pregnancy due to financial hardship and her husband’s struggles with drugs, alcohol and other problems. The host said that after a doctor refused to carry out an abortion, Ronaldo’s mother tried to terminate the pregnancy by drinking beer and exercising vigorously [she ran until she was exhausted]. But the pregnancy continued. The host said that Ronaldo later expressed a wish to have a child whom his mother would help raise. The child refers to Cristiano Ronaldo Jr. The mother of the child’s identity has not been publicly disclosed. The son was born in June 2010. And his full custody was granted to the football star. By mutual agreement, the mother’s identity was kept private. Ronaldo made a commitment to never reveal her name. “The story about Cristiano Ronaldo and the mother,” a Channels Television host said in July 2014. “She said she almost aborted because, as the last child when she was pregnant, the father was having so many issues, drugs, and drinks. So, she almost aborted Cristiano Ronaldo. She didn’t really want to have the baby. She said there was actually a time she had to go on drinking beer. She ran until she was exhausted. All that just for the baby to go. The doctor refused to carry out the abortion. That was why she had to start drinking beer, trying to do exercises, run, and all, just for the baby to leave. She had to hang on and said he wasn’t going to leave. So, at the end of the day, we have the best footballer in the world. And when she released that autobiography, she also said that Cristiano Ronaldo told her that he wanted to have a child, and that she would be the one to bring up that boy. I believe that’s why we have Cristiano Ronaldo Jr., we don’t even know who the mother is. But we know that Cristiano Ronaldo’s mother is there for him.”
Cristiano Ronaldo net worth, Al-Nassr contract, and viral philanthropy
According to Bloomberg’s Oct. 2025 calculation, Cristiano Ronaldo’s net worth has topped $1.4 billion. A renewed contract with Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr is reportedly worth $400 million alone – all tax-free. According to Forbes, the contract Ronaldo signed with Saudi Pro League club Al-Nassr in Jan. 2023 – and renewed for another 2 years in 2025 – is believed to pay him more than $200 million annually. A viral philanthropy story claims Ronaldo gifted a restaurant to someone who fed him leftover burgers when he was a kid.Footyleads shared a viral story about the billionaire footballer: “When I was a kid – 11 or 12 years old – I didn’t have money. Near our house, there was a McDonald’s. At night, we would go to the back door and ask the ladies if there were any leftover burgers. They used to give us food. And that meant a lot to me. Later in life, I tried very hard to find them again. When I finally did, I wanted to repay her kindness. So, I invited them and gifted her a restaurant.”
