"A very unique emotion" - Cristiano Ronaldo's mom reacts to gifting Pope Francis a Portugal shirt

Cristiano Ronaldo's mother Dolores Aveiro has spoken of her experience of gifting Pope Francis a Portugal football shirt.

Manchester United and Portugal striker Ronaldo has had a somewhat debatable recent period on the field for the club. However, there is no doubting that his personal life continues to be one of admiration.

His mother has spoken of her unique emotions, having met Pope Francis and gifted him a Portugal shirt with the player's name printed on it.

She said:

“A very unique emotion, thank you.”

Dolores Aveiro was visiting the Vatican City for the Pope's General Audience, an event in which Pope Francis meets general members of the public to offer guidance.

The Portugal captain's guidance of Manchester United thus far since his return to the club in the summer of 2021 has left much to be admired as of late.

The side recently exited the FA Cup at the hands of Championship outfit Middlesbrough. It was a game where the 37-year-old missed a first-half penalty among a number of squandered chances.

This led to the forward being dropped for their Premier League game on Tuesday night against Burnley, with the Portugal captain unable to help prevent dropping points off the bench as United drew 1-1.

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Cristiano Ronaldo's time at Manchester United

Despite the constant positives off the field for United's number seven, it remains to be seen what the long-term future holds for the forward on the field.

Certainly Manchester United interim manager Ralf Rangnick's decision to drop the forward against Burnley raised eyebrows. With a different manager set to take over at the end of the season, it could be possible that Ronaldo's future lies away from Old Trafford.

Ronaldo has registered eight goals in 19 Premier League appearances this season. That is a decent return for a player who is being constantly criticized for his performances.

Rangnick's gegen-pressing style does not suit the former Real Madrid man as it involves a lot of running, which is something the Portuguese star is not popular for anymore. That is, of course, considering he is 37 years old and nearing the end of a storied career.

The forward enjoyed a great start to his second spell at the Red Devils. He has often been a saviour as the club dwindled in the Champions League under former boss Ole Gunnar-Solskjaer.

But perhaps his signing was detrimental to the Norweigan's poor run of form this season, which saw him sacked back in late November.

The Portugal superstar will certainly go down as a footballing legend but it remains to be seen whether he will remain at Manchester United in the long run.