Cristiano Ronaldo, 32, has always been known for his largesse to all those around him and no one has enjoyed this more than his family.
His mother, Maria Dolores dos Santos, in an old interview revealed that Ronaldo helped his brother Hugo Aveiro, 42, battle drug addiction.
Alveiro battled alcohol and substance abuse for years, but his superstar brother was there to help him, getting him the assistance he needed to get back on his feet.
‘There’s no doubt his money helped to save Hugo,’ their mother Dolores was quoted as saying in the Daily Record in 2007. ‘Things might have turned out a lot differently if Cristiano hadn’t been a footballer.’
This action hit particularly close to home as Maria lost her husband, Ronaldo’s father, Jose Dinis Aveiro, to alcohol issue when Ronaldo was 20.
She continued; ‘Cristiano has seen what drink and drugs can do to people close to him and it’s part of the reason why he’s become who he is today,’
‘What happened to our family explains why Cristiano doesn’t have vices. He doesn’t smoke and doesn’t drink. His addiction is football.
‘Dinis drank himself into an early grave which left Cristiano devastated. Cristiano was very close to his dad.
‘He would have loved him to still be around to see the player he is today. It’s very sad.’