Cristiano Ronaldo and his partner, Georgina Rodriguez, have released a set of cute images of their newborn daughter.
The Manchester United superstar and the Argentine-Spanish model, who he met in 2016, welcomed Bella Esmeralda into the world on April 18, hours after they tragically lost their newborn son, Bella's twin brother. In a heartwarming post on Instagram this Saturday, Rodriguez announced her name by posting three adorable photos and writing: "Bella Esmeralda," alongside a green heart emoji and her birthdate.
Ronaldo had shared a snap of his newborn daughter and fifth child last weekend, captioning the black-and-white image with: "Forever Love..." along with a heart and prayer emoji. The 37-year-old and his partner had brought Bella to their luxury Cheshire house from hospital that week and announced in a separate post: "Home sweet home.
"Gio and our baby girl are finally together with us. We want to thank everyone for all the kind words and gestures. Your support is very important and we all felt the love and respect that you have for our family. Now it's time to be grateful for the life that we've just welcomed into this world."
The best example of the kind of gesture that Ronaldo was referring to came from rival club Liverpool. Supporters at Anfield applauded in their seventh minute of the match last month and sang "You'll Never Walk Alone," paying tribute to his son.
The Portuguese, whose family have received a flood of support from across the world, was understandably absent from Merseyside but thanked fans for their class on social media. "One world… One sport… One global family…" Ronaldo wrote. "Thanks, Anfield. Me and my family will never forget this moment of respect and compassion."
In a devastating post two days earlier, the former Juventus and Real Madrid striker and Rodriguez confirmed the tragic news by saying: "It is with our deepest sadness that we have to announce that our baby boy has passed away.
"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. 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. Our baby boy, you are our angel. We will always love you."
Ronaldo returned for United's clash with Arsenal on April 23, scoring a goal and emotionally celebrating by pointing to the sky. His form has only improved since, bagging a goal in their next two fixtures at Old Trafford, taking his tally for the season to a remarkable 24 in 37 appearances.
