Cristiano Ronaldo's mother has revealed her son could have become involved with drugs if it wasn't for the beautiful game, and also spoke about the superstar's father, who had an alcohol problem.
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The 30-year-old didn't have an easy upbringing, having to share a room with his brother and two older sisters, and his mother believes that, if it wasn't for football, his life could have taken a very different, worse direction.
"If he hadn't dedicated himself to football, he would probably have fallen into drugs," Maria Dolores dos Santos told El Pais.
Ronaldo's father, Jose Dinis Aveiro, worked as a kit man for the first amateur club his son played for when he was eight years old. However, he died in 2005 due to an alcoholism-related liver condition, when the Portuguese superstar was only 20.
"He was drunk almost every day. I never really knew him well. I would have liked him to have been around more," the Real Madrid talisman's mother added.
"Although he never mistreated his children, I became his victim."
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Ronaldo often calls former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson his "father in sport", and, in a previous interview, recalled one incident when the Scotsman showed his support.
"When my daddy was dying, he was in a hospital in London, and it was not good. I said to Ferguson, 'Coach, I want to go.' It was a crucial moment of the season. But Ferguson said, 'Football doesn't mean anything compared with your dad. If you want to go, go.' I will always appreciate that."
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