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TOPSHOT - Portugal's forward #07 Cristiano Ronaldo reacts during the international friendly football match between Portugal and Nigeria at Magalhaes Pessoa Stadium in Leiria, on June 10, 2026. (Photo by FILIPE AMORIM / AFP via Getty Images)

Cristiano Ronaldo’s latest World Cup milestone comes with another emotional layer for fans who have followed the Portuguese star’s family story.

Ronaldo will start for Portugal against DR Congo on Wednesday, June 17, officially appearing in his sixth World Cup. Soccer insider Fabrizio Romano noted on X that Ronaldo had “arrived” for Portugal’s opener and was one goal away from matching Eusébio’s record for the most World Cup goals by a Portuguese player.

Ronaldo entered the match with 8 career World Cup goals, trailing only Eusébio, who scored 9 goals for Portugal at the tournament. The 41-year-old star also began the 2026 World Cup with a chance to become the first player to score in six different editions of the tournament.

But beyond the records, Ronaldo’s appearance also comes four years after one of the most difficult periods of his life. During the 2022 World Cup cycle, Ronaldo and his fiancée, Georgina Rodríguez, were still grieving the death of their baby son, Ángel.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez Announced Son Ángel’s Death in 2022

Ronaldo and Rodríguez announced in April 2022 that their baby boy had died during childbirth. The couple had been expecting twins. Their daughter, Bella Esmeralda, survived.

“It is with our deepest sadness we have to announce that our baby boy has passed away,” Ronaldo and Rodríguez wrote in a joint statement at the time. “It is the greatest pain that any parents can feel.”

The couple added that the birth of Bella gave them “the strength to live this moment with some hope and happiness.”

“Our baby boy, you are our angel,” they wrote. “We will always love you.”

The tragedy followed Ronaldo into the final months before the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, where fans searched for more information about his family and the son he lost. The subject could again become part of Ronaldo’s broader World Cup story as Portugal begins what is likely his final tournament.

Ronaldo Said He Keeps Ángel’s Ashes in a Chapel at Home

Ronaldo later spoke in rare detail about Ángel during a 2022 interview with Piers Morgan.

The Portugal captain said Ángel’s ashes are kept at his home, beside the ashes of Ronaldo’s father, José Dinis Aveiro, in a small chapel. Ronaldo said he speaks to both of them and described their presence as something that helps him as a person and a father.

Ronaldo also explained how difficult it was to tell his other children what had happened. He said his younger children initially asked where the other baby was after Bella came home. After about a week, Ronaldo said he decided to be honest with them and explain that Ángel had gone to heaven.

He said his children continued to remember their brother in small ways, sometimes pointing upward and saying they had done something “for Angel.”

Ronaldo called the loss one of the worst moments of his life, comparing the pain to the death of his father.

Ronaldo Said the Loss Brought Him Closer to Georgina Rodríguez

Ronaldo has also spoken about how the loss affected his relationship with Rodríguez.

In a 2025 interview, Ronaldo reflected on the “difficult period” and said it helped solidify his relationship with Rodríguez. He said the experience changed his perspective on life and made him appreciate his family in a different way.

Ronaldo also described Bella as “the queen of the family,” saying she brings happiness into the home.

Rodríguez has also discussed the grief publicly. In the trailer for Season 2 of her Netflix series, “I Am Georgina,” she said that “no one knows how I really feel” and described experiencing “the best and the worst moment” of her life at the same time.

Ronaldo Begins Another World Cup With History in Reach

Ronaldo’s start against DR Congo added another chapter to one of the longest international careers in soccer history.

He previously scored at the 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018 and 2022 World Cups. If he scores in 2026, he would become the first player to score in six different men’s World Cup tournaments.

The Portugal star is also chasing Eusébio’s national World Cup scoring record. Eusébio scored all 9 of his World Cup goals during Portugal’s historic run in 1966. Ronaldo entered the 2026 tournament with 8 World Cup goals, including his famous hat trick against Spain in 2018 and a penalty goal against Ghana in 2022.

Portugal entered the tournament with one of the most talented squads in the field, including Bruno Fernandes, Bernardo Silva, Rafael Leão, João Félix and Rúben Dias. Still, Ronaldo remains the face of the team, even at 41. As the captain of Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League, this may be one of the final times an international audience will see him at the World Cup.

Whether Ronaldo can still carry Portugal deep into a World Cup is one of the major questions of the tournament. But Wednesday’s opener already placed him back at the center of the global stage, chasing history, leading Portugal and continuing a career that has unfolded alongside both extraordinary success and deep personal loss.

Portugal vs. Congo DR kicks off at 1 p.m. EST.