Cristiano Ronaldo once told in an interview how some McDonald’s girls helped feed him in his younger days of poverty living in Lisbon.
CR7 is widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of soccer. The Portuguese had a truly outstanding career, winning five Ballon d’Ors and five Champions League. He is the all-time top scorer in the sport and has played for the likes of Manchester United, Real Madrid, and Juventus.
But even Ronaldo had to start from somewhere. The Portuguese footballer grew up in poverty, often having to clean streets for little money. He also often had to go hungry as he couldn’t afford to buy food.
Cristiano Ronaldo recalled how McDonald’s employees provided him with free burgers late at night
In a 2019 interview with Piers Morgan, Ronaldo answered many questions. There he also talked about how he was fed by some McDonald’s employees which often helped him defeat hunger as a young boy. He said it was during his days as a youth player for Sporting Lisbon’s academy.
In the interview, he said, “Late at night, about 10:30 or 11, we’d get a little hungry. So we had a McDonald’s next to the stadium where we lived and we’d always go to the back door and knock on the door, ‘Hey, do you have any hamburgers left?'”
He then said that the girls always used to feed them the leftover burgers, which helped Ronaldo a lot during that time.
Ronaldo admitted that he lost contact with them due to his bustling career, but still desired to meet them to thank them for their generosity.
“I want to invite them to Turin or Lisbon to come to my house, to have dinner with me and I want to meet these girls. I want to give something back to them because that period was a period that I cherish very much. You can’t imagine what it meant to have burgers at night.”
One of the McDonald’s girls thanked Ronaldo for the humble gesture
One of the girls who fed Ronaldo was named Edna. After the interview became public, Edna surfaced in the media and even released a statement. The statement itself is a heartfelt one. The woman appreciated the humbleness of Ronaldo and the fact that he still remembers his origins.
“I’m happy and it shows how humble he is. I’m really nobody for him to remember me like that. It was something that happened a long time ago. I’m very happy about what he has become. I never thought he would remember me so many years later.”
Cristiano Ronaldo: I'm still looking for a burger seller! The one who used to feed me for free, when I was poor, to return the favor to her. The seller, Caldina Caldas, replied to one of the Portuguese channels: I am very happy with him, and this attitude indicates his humility.… pic.twitter.com/w8UWpYuQba
— Frank Khalid OBE (@FrankKhalidUK) July 7, 2023
It is unknown though if Ronaldo managed to meet any of the McDonald’s girls. The other girl’s identities are also still unknown.
There is no doubt Cristiano Ronaldo had a hard beginning in life, battling many issues. But his tale has a happy ending, having become one of the most famous and richest athletes in world football.
We hope that the girls who helped Ronaldo in his hard times can meet him, as without them, there may not have been a Cristiano Ronaldo.
