Cristiano Ronaldo is reportedly preparing to tie the knot with his fiancée Georgina Rodriguez next Saturday in a lavish ceremony on the Portuguese island where he spent his childhood.
According to reports, the 41-year-old football icon and Georgina, 32, have chosen Funchal cathedral in Madeira as the venue for their big day.
The couple are then said to be hosting their wedding reception at the nearby five-star Savoy Palace hotel, which features four restaurants and stunning views of the island.
It’s a brilliantly sentimental choice from Ronaldo, who was born and raised in Funchal before leaving at just 11 years old to pursue his football dreams with Sporting Lisbon.
Cristiano Ronaldo has been in a relationship with Georgina Rodriguez ever since 2016 | GETTY
The pair became engaged last August following eight years together.
A source revealed that hotel guests have already been informed about the arrangements: “Guests at the hotel have been told two floors will be out of use on Friday and Saturday, as well as several bar areas.”
Weddings at Funchal cathedral typically begin from 3pm, so expect the celebrations to kick off in the afternoon before moving on to the hotel.
Interestingly, it had previously been rumoured that Ronaldo and Georgina were planning to wed at the Quinta da Regaleira estate in Sintra this weekend instead. Those claims were quickly cast into doubt, however, after it emerged the historic site remained open to the public as normal.
Both Ronaldo and Georgina were spotted last week sporting diamond rings while boarding a yacht in Majorca, fuelling speculation that the big day was fast approaching.
Georgina Rodriguez posted her diamond ring that cost a whopping £3.7million |
Ronaldo and Georgina first crossed paths back in 2016, when the Spanish-Argentinian model caught his eye while working as a sales assistant at a Gucci store in Madrid. He popped the question last August, and she shared the happy news on Instagram with the caption “Yes, I do.”
The football legend had originally hoped to walk down the aisle as a World Cup champion, telling Piers Morgan: “I hope to arrive at my wedding with the champion’s trophy.” That dream didn’t quite work out, with Portugal knocked out in the Round of 16 by Spain, who went on to lift the trophy.
He also told Morgan that Georgina was the only woman he had ever dated whom he wanted to settle down with.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodriguez have three children together, as well as the football star’s other three kids | Instagram
Funchal holds deep personal meaning for Ronaldo, who grew up in poverty on the island, sharing a bedroom with all of his siblings before departing for the mainland as a young boy. The city has since honoured its most famous son with a bronze statue, and he even has a hotel bearing his name there.
These days, Ronaldo is based in Saudi Arabia after joining Al-Nassr in 2022 on a staggering £175million-a-year deal. He’s currently earning around £300 a minute in the Gulf state, and also holds a stake in the club itself, pushing his estimated net worth to somewhere between $1.2billion and $1.4billion.
The couple share daughters Alana and Bella, and have twins Eva Maria and Mateo through surrogacy. Ronaldo also has son Cristiano Jr, 16, from a previous relationship.
