Portugal international Cristiano Ronaldo will miss his team’s Confederations Cup third place playoff in Moscow on Sunday to return to Lisbon to see his newborn children.
The 32-year-old captain of the 2016 European champions will return to his homeland following Portugal’s defeat in their FIFA Confederations Cup semifinal against Chile on penalties in Kazan on Wednesday.
READ MORE: Bravo, Bravo! – Chile beats Portugal 3-0 on penalties to proceed to Confed Cup final
Ronaldo couldn’t help his team break the deadlock during regular time and 30 minutes of extra time, and was not called on to take a penalty after teammates Ricardo Quaresma, João Moutinho and Nani all missed their spotkicks to hand Chile a 3-0 win in the shootout.
“I've been in the service of the National Team, as always, body and soul, even though my two children were born. Unfortunately, we could not reach the main sports goal we wanted but I am sure that we will continue to give joy to the Portuguese,” four-time Ballon d’Or winner Ronaldo said on his Facebook page.
“The President of the Portuguese Football Federation and the National Selector today had an attitude that touched me and I will not forget.
“I am very happy to finally be able to be with my children for the first time,” he added.
The two boys were reportedly born by a surrogate mother on June 11. The news follows recent reports of Ronaldo dating a 22-year-old Spanish model, Georgina Rodriguez.
Ronaldo’s first child, six-year-old Cristiano Jr., was also born from a surrogate mother in 2010.