Real Madrid striker Cristiano Ronaldo, few hours after he captained Portugal to semi-final defeat in the Confederations Cup in Russia, has announced the birth of twins BBC reports.
For days Portuguese media have reported that his twins had been born to a surrogate mother in the US.
According to the BBC, it was only after the national team were knocked out on penalties by Chile that he confirmed the birth.
Ronaldo took to Facebook and wrote: “I’m very happy, finally, to be with my children for the first time.”
He already has a son, Cristiano Ronaldo junior, who was born in June 2010.
Little more is known about the twins, although according to BBC unconfirmed reports in Portugal said they were born on 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.
Further reports said Ronaldo’s mother, Dolores Aveiro, travelled to the US soon after they were born.
In a statement, the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) said it had been informed by Ronaldo before the Confederations Cup that he had become a father again, and yet had decided to travel to Russia with the team.
The FPF described his decision as a “gesture that we must highlight and praise”.