In a remarkably candid revelation, Cristiano Ronaldo recently opened up about the profound trauma of losing his newborn son, Angel, calling it the single most difficult period of his life.
The football icon and his partner, Georgina Rodriguez, were expecting twins in April. While they safely welcomed their daughter, Bella Esmeralda, Angel tragically passed away during childbirth. Speaking to TalkTV, Ronaldo detailed the agonizing reality of navigating that loss, especially when it came to explaining the situation to the rest of their children. When Rodriguez finally returned home, the kids immediately began asking where the other baby was. After a grueling week of fielding questions around the dinner table, Ronaldo decided the only way forward was absolute honesty, gently telling his children that Angel had gone to heaven.
Navigating Joy and Devastation
The grief was uniquely complicated by the simultaneous arrival of their new daughter. Ronaldo described the psychological toll as completely disorienting, noting that he had never experienced such intense happiness and crushing sadness at the exact same time. It was a bizarre duality that left the couple entirely unsure of how to react, caught somewhere between smiling for their newborn girl and weeping for the son they had just lost.
Compounding this emotional turmoil was the unforgiving nature of professional sports. The soccer calendar simply carried on, forcing Ronaldo to push through a relentless schedule of high-stakes competitions while he and Georgina were still desperately trying to process why this tragedy had happened to them.
Keeping Angel Close
Rather than scattering his son’s ashes in the ocean, Ronaldo chose to keep them close to home. Angel’s ashes now rest in a private basement chapel alongside the remains of Ronaldo’s father, Jose Dinis Aveiro, who died of liver failure in 2005. The superstar finds a deep sense of comfort in their proximity, admitting that he talks to both his father and his son all the time. He credits their lingering presence and the spiritual messages he receives from them for helping him evolve into a better man and a more dedicated father.
Pivoting Toward the Future of Wellness
This profound realization about the fragility of life and the importance of health seems to be shaping Ronaldo’s legacy far beyond the soccer pitch. Funneling his focus into personalized well-being, the athlete has just made a major move in the health-tech sector.
On Wednesday, following the market close, global health and wellness giant Herbalife announced that Ronaldo acquired a 10% equity stake in its artificial intelligence subsidiary, HBL Pro2col Software LLC. The transaction, valued at $7.5 million, gives Ronaldo a significant foothold in the wholly-owned subsidiary that operates the Pro2col technology. Beyond the capital investment, Ronaldo is also committed to providing sponsorship rights and promotional services to the tech firm. Pro2col serves as Herbalife’s next-generation, AI-driven platform, specifically engineered to deliver highly customized, data-backed wellness solutions on a massive scale.
Market Reaction and Financial Outlook
Wall Street reacted positively to the high-profile partnership, sending Herbalife shares up 3.76% to close the regular trading session at $16.54.
The announcement perfectly coincided with the release of Herbalife’s fourth-quarter 2025 earnings. While the company posted an EPS of $0.45—missing the consensus estimate of $0.47 by a 4.26% margin—robust revenue growth managed to offset the slight earnings miss. Top-line revenue actually climbed $76 million year-over-year, building on the $1.21 billion recorded during the fourth quarter of 2024.
From a technical standpoint, the California-based company is showing strong momentum. Boasting a market capitalization of $1.71 billion, Herbalife (HLF) is currently trading near the very top of its 52-week range. The stock is sitting roughly 89% above its annual low of $5.57 and has skyrocketed an impressive 194.31% over the past twelve months, supported by a healthy relative strength index (RSI) of 55.70.