Manchester United soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo revealed in an Instagram post Monday that one of his twin babies with partner Georgina Rodriguez died after birth.
The Portuguese player, 37, had announced he and Rodriguez, 28, were expecting twins — a boy and a girl — last fall.
He expressed the couple’s pain of losing their son on Monday. Their baby girl survived.
“It is with our deepest sadness we have to announce that our baby boy has passed away,” the couple’s message reads. “It is the greatest pain that any parents can feel.”
“Only the birth of our baby girl gives us the strength to live this moment with some hope and happiness,” the note continued. “We would like to thank the doctors and nurses for all their expert care and support. We are all devastated at this loss and we kindly ask for privacy at this very difficult time.”
The message concluded with, “Our baby boy, you are our angel. We will always love you.”
It is unclear when Rodriguez gave birth.
Ronaldo is the father of four children in addition to the newborn girl: twins Eva Maria and Mateo, who were born via a surrogate; eldest son Cristiano Jr., whose mother has never been named publicly; and Alana Martina, his first child with Rodriguez.
Manchester United tweeted: “Your pain is our pain. Sending love and strength to you and the family at this time.”
Teammate Marcus Rashford wrote his regards, tweeting, “Thoughts are with you and Georgina brother I’m so sorry.”
“The thoughts and condolences of everyone at the Premier League are with you and your family, Cristiano,” the league tweeted.
Ronaldo began his storied career with Manchester United in 2003 before a 2009 move to Real Madrid and a 2018 stop with Italian club Juventus before returning to Manchester United in 2021.
The forward has scored 15 times for Manchester United in 26 games this year. The team currently sit fifth in the Premier League table, three points behind Tottenham Hotspur for the final Champions League qualification spot with five games remaining on the schedule.
Toward the end of March, Ronaldo led Portugal to once again qualify for the World Cup, which will kicks off November 2022 in Qatar.
