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Cristiano Ronaldo has announced the birth of twins. This announcement comes hours after the player captained Portugal to semi-final defeat in the Confederations Cup in Russia.
For days Portuguese media have reported that the footballer’s twins had been born to a surrogate mother in the US.
Ronaldo will not play in Sunday’s Confederations Cup third place playoff after leaving the camp after Wednesday’s semifinal defeat to Chile.
The semi-final in Kazan ended in a 0-0 draw and Chile went through as Ronaldo’s teammates missed three penalties.
The Real Madrid star thanked the FPF for allowing him to leave the team camp, writing on Facebook: “I have been serving the national team, as always, in body and soul, even knowing that my two children had been born.
“The president of the FPF and the national team coach have had an attitude I will never forget. I am happy to finally be able to be with my babies for the first time.”
The news came amid continung uncertainty over Ronaldo’s future at Madrid after he was ordered to appear in court over an alleged €14.7 million tax fraud.
He already has a son, Cristiano Ronaldo junior, who was born in June 2010.
Little is known about the twins, although unconfirmed reports in Portugal said they were born on June 8 June, well before the start of the Confederations Cup. The SIC TV channel said the boy and girl had been named Eva and Mateo.