Messages of support from celebrities, teammates, and members of the public have been flooding in after Cristiano Ronaldo publicly announced the tragic death of his newborn son last night.
The Manchester United star and his long-term girlfriend Georgina Rodríguez announced back in October 2021 that they were expecting a second set of twins, but issued a joint statement on social media yesterday to reveal with the “deepest sadness” that their newborn son had passed away.
The couple confirmed the birth of their baby girl, and said the arrival of their daughter gave them “the strength to live this moment with some hope and happiness”.
They said it was “the greatest pain any parents could feel”.
The couple’s statement reads in full: “It is with our deepest sadness we have to announce that our baby boy has passed away.
ADVERTISEMENT
“It is the greatest pain that any parents can feel and 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.”
The couple with children Cristiano Jr, twins Eva and Mateo, and shared daughter Alana / Credit: Cristiano Ronaldo (via Twitter)
Following the announcement of the heartbreaking news, messages of love and support for the the couple have been flooding in on social media from a number of famous names, fans, teammates, and current and former clubs the Portuguese striker has played for during his career.
ADVERTISEMENT
Current club Manchester United lead the tributes on social media: “Your pain is our pain, Cristiano.
“Sending love and strength to you and the family at this time.”
“Thoughts are with you and Georgina brother. I’m so sorry,” Marcus Rashford said on Twitter.
Other Manchester United players to share their messages of support on social media include goalkeeper David de Gea, full-back and fellow Portugal teammate Diogo Dalot, left-back Alex Telles, and club captain Harry Maguire.
Spanish club Real Madrid, which Cristiano notably played for from 2009-2018, issued a statement on social media, reading: “Real Madrid CF, its president and its Board of Directors deeply regret the death of one of the children that our beloved Cristiano Ronaldo and his partner, Georgina Rodríguez, were expecting.
ADVERTISEMENT
“Real Madrid joins the pain of the whole family and wants to show them all our love and affection.”
Juventus, the Italian club Cristiano played for between 2018-2021 before joining Manchester United said in their statement on social media: “Our thoughts and prayers are with you, Georgina and the whole family during this time.”
A number of other Premier League and international teams also shared messages of support.
Manchester City said in a statement: “Everyone at Manchester City sends our deepest condolences to you and Georgina.”
“All of us here at Liverpool FC send our deepest condolences to you, Georgina and the family,” Liverpool FC said.
ADVERTISEMENT
Everyone at Manchester City sends our deepest condolences to you and Georgina. 💙
The Premier League’s official Twitter account also shared a statement, which read: “The thoughts and condolences of everyone at the Premier League are with you and your family, Cristiano.”
Gary Lineker said: “Terribly sad news. Sincere condolences to you and your family.”
Legendary Brazilian forward Pele wrote on Instagram: “My friend, I send you my prayers and my feelings at this very difficult time. May God comfort your hearts and enlighten every step of the way.”
“Sending our heartfelt condolences to you and your family for your unimaginable loss,” Sir Kenny Dalglish said on Twitter.
Good Morning Britain presenter Piers Morgan wrote on Instagram: “Heartbreaking news. My deepest condolences to you and all your family.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Usain Bolt, Yohan Blake, Dr Alex George, Jacqueline Jossa, Jake Quickenden were among some of the other famous names to shares messages of support on Instagram.
Major pop star CMAT pops up for surprise performance in Gay Village bar
Daisy Jackson
CMAT, one of the world’s hottest artists right now, popped up and did a surprise set inside a legendary Gay Village bar last night.
The Irish singer (who is a bit of an adopted Manc at this point) is about to play two massive sold-out shows in Manchester.
She’s set to play at the O2 Victoria Warehouse tonight and tomorrow, performing hits from her chart-topping third studio album Euro-Country.
But before that, it was a night out on Canal Street for CMAT, who stunned punters inside Via by hopping up on stage.
CMAT jumped on stage along with drag queen Ginger Hunter, resident queen Amy Laqueefa, and Dahliah Rivers and belted out a rendition of her smash hit single, Take A Sexy Picture Of Me.
The group – and the delighted audience – all joined her in nailing the choreography to the song too.
Sharing a couple of videos, Via wrote: “What a Night! Ireland’s Pop Princess @cmatbaby paid us a visit and gave us a very special rendition of Take a Sexy Picture! We love Cmat.”
She’d also been spotted earlier in the evening at Lily Allen’s West End Girl show at Aviva Studios.
Dahliah Rivers commented: “A fever dream!!! What a gorgeous evening”
Amy LaQueefa wrote: “Obsessed that CMAT wanted to come and get up with us tonight”
Fast-rising alt-pop favourite CMAT relocated to Manchester as a 17-year-old back in 2013 to pursue her career in music, and it’s fair to say the move turned out to be a positive one.
She’s supported the likes of Sam Fender, and played massive festival slots like Glastonbury last summer.
And now CMAT will head straight from the stage at Via to a much bigger platform, with two sold-out gigs at the O2 Victoria Warehouse on 11 and 12 March.
The full 2026 MOBOs Fringe programme for the first-ever awards in Manchester has been revealed
Danny Jones
Now the BRITs have been and gone, it’s time to switch our focus to the next big awards show: the 2026 MOBOs, which is also coming to Manchester for the very first time, and they’re bringing the popular Fringe event along with it.
Get ready for more big showbiz hustle and bustle to hit the city centre before you know it; we, for one, are so ready.
Similar to the aforementioned BRIT Awards, the MOBOs also hold a regular ‘Fringe’ music, arts and cultural festival with each annual edition.
You can see the full range of this year’s largely free-to-attend MOBOs Fringe lineup and the extensive schedule in its entirety down below.
Manchester, it’s your time.
The full #MOBOFringe 2026 programme is here – nine days of music, culture, panels, parties and showcases across the city ahead of the #MOBOAwards on 26 March.
As you can see, there’s a lot on the cards this year, with different activities and activations happening all over central Manchester.
Featuring everything from exclusive live sets, sport and other entertainment, to various selectors and even a creative summit, it’s jam-packed with countless aspects beyond just that music that help make the industry as a whole tick.
Venues involved include The Whitworth Gallery, faithful Green Island Festival partners, the Niamos Centre, multi-purpose bars and events spaces like Side Street and Renae, as well as important music venues like The Deaf Institute and Aviva Studios – a.k.a. the home of Factory International.
Each hosting a variety of different dates over the course of its nearly week-long duration ahead of the MOBO Awards themselves, there’s something for everyone and anyone interested not just in Black music and entertainment but Black-British culture and more.
For instance, we already heard about the exclusive basketball match between Manchester and a fellow European competitor, and tickets are live as we speak. You can see the full Fringe programme in more detail online.
Running from Thursday 19 to Tuesday 24 March, the event week is shaping up to be a cracker.
As for the inaugural Manc MOBOs ceremony at Co-op Live, it gets underway just a couple of days later on the following Thursday (26 Mar).
serving as the perfect way to close the Fringe and this year’s edition as a whole.
Tickets for the MOBO Awards Manchester debut are live as we speak, with general admission prices starting from less than £30. You can grab yours HERE.
As for those expected to be in attendance, the likes of Olivia Dean and local rapper Aitch have already been confirmed for the live music lineup, and to see the full list of nominees, look no further…
Emily Sergeant -
19th April 2022 
