Renowned football icon Cristiano Ronaldo and his fiancée, Georgina Rodriguez, are reportedly preparing for a Christian wedding ceremony on Madeira, Ronaldo’s birthplace, slated for next summer. The event is anticipated to unfold after the 2026 World Cup, with the ceremony taking place at the historic Funchal Cathedral. Following the nuptials, guests will celebrate at a luxurious hotel, according to the local publication, Jornal da Madeira.

The choice of venue carries deep personal significance for Ronaldo. The cathedral is located just a short distance from the hospital where he was born and is only a few miles from Nacional da Madeira, the club where he honed his early football skills.

The couple’s engagement was announced in August after a relationship spanning over nine years. Ronaldo, now 40, recently shared insights into his unconventional proposal, describing it as spontaneous and “not very romantic,” despite the gesture involving a dazzling £1.5 million ring.

Recalling the moment, Ronaldo explained, “A friend of mine gave me the ring to present to Gio. As I was about to propose, our two kids burst in, saying, ‘Daddy, you’re going to give the ring to mum and ask her to marry you.'” The candid family interlude added a unique touch to their engagement story.

Ronaldo, 40, recently opened up on his ‘not very romantic’ and improvised proposal, albeit complete with a £1.5million ring. 

‘It was like 1am. My daughters were in bed sleeping,’ he told Piers Morgan.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodriguez will reportedly marry at the cathedral in his home city after the 2026 World Cup 

The couple have been in a relationship since 2016 and have daughters Alana, seven, and two-year-old Bella together. She is also the stepmother of his other three children 

‘One of my friends gave me the ring to offer Gio (Georgina) and as I was giving her the ring, my two kids come in and say “Daddy, you’re going to give the ring to mum and you’re going to ask her to get married.” 

‘I said, “Wow, this is the right moment to say yes.” It was the time. I knew that I was going to do it one day but I hadn’t planned to do it then.

‘Because my daughters said that and my friends were filming, it was what I wanted and I offered (the ring). I didn’t (get on one knee) because I wasn’t prepared but it was a beautiful moment. I made a speech.

‘It was simple, I’m not a very romantic guy. Well, I am, but I’m not very romantic, not the kind of guy who brings flowers every week to the home. But I’m romantic in my way. It was beautiful and I knew that it’s the woman of my life so I did that and I hope that I did it well.’

Ronaldo has five children. Two of them, Alana Martin and Bella Esmeralda, have been with Georgina. His eldest child, Cristiano Jr, was born in 2010 before he was with her, while her had two more kids, Eva and Mateo, via surrogacy in 2017. In 2022 they dealt with the tragic death of their newborn son Angel. 

The Portugal legend and the Argentine-Spanish model are thought to have got together in 2016 while he was at Real Madrid.

He added to Piers Morgan: ‘We plan to do it after the World Cup with the trophy! But she is not the person that likes big parties. She doesn’t like it. She likes private things. So I will respect these decisions.

‘One thing that I love, she didn’t care about the ring. She asked me if I was honest and I said, “I want you and I want to marry you.” I didn’t cry but I had tears on my eyes.’

He said his proposal was ‘not very romantic’ and entirely improvised at 1am  

That said, he did buy her a £1.5million ring, which she revealed in August announcing the news 

Ronaldo told Piers Morgan he’s ‘not a romantic guy’ but Georgina is the ‘woman of his life’

Opening up about how he and Georgina coped with the heartache of losing their baby in 2022, the footballer told Piers: ‘I feel that we always support each other. Sometimes it’s like in a relationship you have good moments, bad moments it is part of the journey.

‘But probably in that period, we consolidated it more, the relationship, but even in the worst moments you have to meet, you have to make the thing smooth.

‘I learned so many things. I saw the other perspective of the life. My daughter, now which is three years old, she is the queen of the family, who made the house happy. Everything happens for a reason. I believe in that. So, we are a blessed family. I am proud of that.’