Cristiano Ronaldo's sister has defended the Manchester United superstar amid ongoing backlash for his part in an alleged phone smashing incident at Goodison Park on Saturday afternoon. Following a 1-0 defeat to Everton, the five-time Ballon d'Or winner appeared to knock an object out of a teenager's hand as he made his way back to the changing room.
The incident prompted Merseyside Police to launch an investigation and United star Ronaldo has already taken to social media to apologise. It came after the Portugal captain and his teammates were filmed by 14-year-old Everton fan Jake Harding as they left the field at Goodison Park.
Jake's mother Sarah has rebuffed apologies as Merseyside Police call for witnesses to help them with the investigation. But as reaction continues to follow, Ronaldo's sister Elma Aveiro - who is a staunch supporter of the world-famous United goal-getter - has jumped to his defence.
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In a lengthy post on social media platform Instagram, she uploaded an image of Ronaldo along with the following caption translated from Portuguese. It read: "The most beautiful human being I've known in the world. All my family are an example of love and respect. A light that only bothers those who live in darkness.
"My dear brother, you don't have to prove anything to anyone and give the answer afterwards to shut everyone up. I love you a lot. The rest is the rest."
An apology from Ronaldo had read: "I would like to apologise for my outburst and, if possible, invite this supporter to watch a game at Old Trafford as a sign of fair play and sportsmanship."
Ronaldo has scored 18 goals since re-signing for United last summer. However, only four of those have come since the turn of the year.
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