Cristiano Ronaldo once revealed that his parents named him after the former US President because they thought “it sounded so cool”.
Born on February 5, 1985, little Cristiano came into the world just a month after Ronald Reagan was sworn in for his second term in the White House.
Reagan, who was also an actor who starred in films including Dark Victory, All-American and Kings Row, admired Ronaldo’s father, José Denis Aveiro, and his mother, María Dolores Aveiro.
Speaking in an interview with gqFive-time Ballon d’Or winner Ronaldo said: “My parents named me after him because they both liked the name and thought it sounded strong. I know my father would have admired him. Were.”
Fernão Barros Sousa, who played with Ronaldo’s father at Madeira-based Club Andorinha, confirmed that Ronaldo’s mother was a fan of Reagan.
Sousa mentioned Maria’s appreciation for Reagan while discussing Ronaldo’s baptism.
“That day, Andorinha was playing at Ribera Brava, so I was going there, Denis too, and we arrived very late for the baptism, so late that the priest didn’t want to baptize him!” he told Target,
“We had to convince the priest to baptize him and that’s what happened.”
“His mother has stories that the name is because of Ronald Reagan, who was the President of the United States at the time. His mother liked him and it seems that’s why she named him Cristiano Ronaldo,” he said.
Image Credit: Getty
Here’s how fans reacted to the story involving Ronaldo on social media.
One said: “The fact that Cristiano Ronaldo is named after Ronald Reagan is disturbing me,” while another wrote: “This came up in a trivia game tonight and I am totally I am surprised.”
A third wrote: “Cristiano Ronaldo being named after Ronald Reagan is so weird.”
A fourth said: “Bro, why doesn’t anyone talk about how Ronaldo was named after Ronald Reagan.”