After Cristiano Ronaldo and his partner Georgina Rodriguez announced the death of their unborn son on Tuesday, the football world gathered around them.
Last October, the 37-year-old Manchester United forward confirmed that he and his wife were expecting twins in a social media post.
They confirmed the birth of a baby girl in a message on the Portuguese international’s Twitter account on Monday.
“It is with our deepest sadness we have to announce that our baby boy has passed away. It is the greatest pain that any parents can feel,” Ronaldo and Rodriguez said in a jointly signed statement.
“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.”
The news drew much sympathy from the football community.
“Your pain is our pain, Cristiano,” Manchester United tweeted. “Sending love and strength to you and the family at this time.”
On their web page, Real Madrid said that the club and its officials “deeply regret the death of one of the children that our beloved Cristiano Ronaldo and his partner, Georgina Rodriguez, were expecting”.
“Real Madrid joins the grief of the whole family and wants to show them all our love and affection,” the Spanish giants said.
Leeds United, Manchester City, and Tottenham Hotspur were among the clubs that extended sympathies.
“All of us here at Liverpool FC send our deepest condolences to you, Georgina and the family,” Liverpool tweeted.
Ronaldo’s United teammates also joined the outpouring of sympathy.
“Thoughts are with you and Georgina, brother I’m so sorry,” forward Marcus Rashford wrote on Twitter.
With a simple heart emoji, goalkeeper David de Gea replied to Ronaldo’s news.
