“Before he was famous, who helped him?” - Cristiano Ronaldo’s sister slams critics for accusing her of living off superstar brother

Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo's sister, 46-year-old Katia Aveiro, recently lashed out at critics accusing her of living off her brother in an interview with Nova Gente.

Katia has never been one to hold back her words, always having her brother's back openly. In the past, she lambasted then-Portugal coach Fernando Santos for benching Cristiano, and has taken multiple digs at the legendary forward's bitter rival Lionel Messi.

In the interview, she opened up about how Cristiano offered his family a better life, saying:

"Everything I have I owe to him and people usually say, 'they live off of Ronaldo', and I say, 'what if he didn't (become famous)?"

Explaining why Cristiano Ronaldo showed such care towards his family, she retorted:

"Before he was famous, who helped him and who was with Ronaldo? His sisters and his mother. It doesn't make sense for him to have a lot and not share it with his family."

Katia started her singing career back in 2005, going by the stage name "Ronalda", which was a reference to her brother. She wrote the song "Vivo na Esperanca de Te Ve" with the Portuguese superstar, to honour their late father Dinis Aveiro. She also owns a restaurant in Brazil, and has truly established herself as an entrepreneur.

Her musical career wasn't a flop either, as she also composed a song, "Boom Sem Parar," which managed to garner 3.2 million views on YouTube.

In a previous interview with Brazilian news outlet Universo Online in September 2023, Katia also said that she would like to be viewed as more than just the sister of a legendary footballer.

"I'm not just Cristiano Ronaldo's sister. There's a mature Katia, isn't there? A mother of three who does have the right to do new things," she said.

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Cristiano Ronaldo once helped raise over £1 million in a charity match against Champions League legends

Cristiano Ronaldo once helped raise over £1 million for charity, playing for Manchester United in an exhibition match against a UEFA XI in 2007.

The UEFA XI was managed by former Juventus, Inter Milan, and Italy manager Marcelo Lippi. It consisted of footballing legends like Andrea Pirlo, Gianluca Zambrotta, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, and Steven Gerrard, among many others.

Meanwhile, even with a minor injury crisis, iconic manager Sir Alex Ferguson fielded a strong United side, with Wayne Rooney, Ronaldo, Paul Scholes, and Ryan Giggs starting.

United took a 2-0 lead within 10 minutes through goals from Wayne Rooney and Wes Brown. Chelsea winger Florent Malouda pulled one back, before Cristiano took matters into his own hands, scoring a stunning freekick from distance.

Rooney added another, before former Liverpool forward El Hadji Diouf grabbed a brace to complete a 4-3 scoreline at full time.

The game was the first fundraiser for the newly-formed Manchester United Foundation, and it helped raise over £1.25 million for charity.