This year has been anything but easy for Cristiano Ronaldo.
On top of his waning success in football, the tragedy of losing his newborn son in the spring of last year was an immeasurable blow to the famous athlete.
He has only opened up about it once, in an interview with Piers Morgan, where he admitted that it had been the most difficult moment in his life since the passing of his father.
Ronaldo expressed his immense struggle in coming to terms with this sudden loss, and how he and his partner Georgina Rodriguez faced it together.
Though football did not simply stop for Ronaldo at a time like this, he was left with little time to grieve and recover from his immense pain.
In order to cope, Ronaldo has chosen to keep the ashes of his son Angel in the chapel at his home, next to those of his father.
He says he visits them often and talks to them, feeling that they are still with him and helping him to become a better person and father.
Ronaldo’s story is a heartbreaking example of how tragedy can change one’s life forever.
Though it is clear that Ronaldo will never be the same again, his strength and courage in the face of hardship is inspiring.
