"He called me cute" - When Bollywood actress gushed over Cristiano Ronaldo

An old image of Cristiano Ronaldo seemingly kissing Bollywood actress Bipasha Basu has re-emerged online.

It is no secret that the Portuguese icon is currently in a relationship with Georgina Rodriguez, whom he met at a Gucci store in Madrid in 2016. The couple have five children together, with the model being the biological mother to two of them.

Before that, though, Ronaldo dated several other women, including Russian model Irina Shayk. At one point, there were rumors that he was seeing Bollywood actress Basu.

Ronaldo and Basu attended an event together in 2007, during the former's first stint with Manchester United. They reportedly spent time together at a party later that evening.

A photograph of the pair seemingly kissing at the party then emerged in the media, leading to speculation about a romance between them. Some fans have now unearthed the 16-year-old image, with one tweeting:

"Who remembers this when people thought Cristiano Ronaldo and Bipasha Basu were dating?"

The said picture has been doing the rounds on social media recently, courtesy of a few fans.

It is worth noting that Basu opened up about her encounter with Ronaldo not long after their meeting. The Bollywood actress expressed her delight at being called cute by the then Manchester United superstar.

"Meeting him (Cristiano Ronaldo) was a dream come true," Basu was quoted as saying by MensXP.

"After the event, we went out clubbing, and that was simply fantastic. He is so cute, and it was strange when he called me cute … He is a friend now and he has promised me that I will be invited for all his matches."

Rumors about Ronaldo and Basu dating reportedly upset the latter's then-boyfriend and Bollywood star John Abraham. The actor even considered breaking up with the actress over the issue.

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Georgina Rodriguez breaks silence on rumors about rift with Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo has been leading a happy life with Georgina Rodriguez and their five children. However, there have been rumors of a rift between the two recently, with the Portuguese icon reportedly fed up with his partner.

There have been claims that the Al-Nassr superstar could break up with the sales assistant-turned-model soon. Rodriguez, though, seemingly rubbished those claims in a cryptic social media post, writing:

"The envious invents the rumor. The gossiper spreads it."

The couple have been residing in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, since Ronaldo joined Al-Nassr on a free transfer last December.