Cristiano Ronaldo is an openly practicing Catholic. Born on February 5, 1985 in Funchal, on the island of Madeira, he was baptized at Santo Antonio church on July 30, 1985 and grew up in a Portuguese Catholic family where faith was transmitted mainly by his mother, Dolores Aveiro.
A Catholic faith practiced publicly
The striker has never hidden his religious convictions. In an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport, he declared: “I go to church every week. I am Catholic and I go to mass to thank God for everything he gives me. I ask for nothing, thank God I have everything, I thank him because he protects my family and my friends.” This regular practice is accompanied by visible gestures on the field: sign of the cross before matches, looking up to the sky after each goal, wearing religious objects.
His faith also permeates his personal life. He says he doesn’t drink alcohol and doesn’t have tattoos, partly for reasons related to his values and his commitment as a regular blood donor. His charitable actions, which he himself associates with the Christian principle of service to others, constitute another extension of this spirituality.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Islam: between rumors and reality
Since his arrival at Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia in January 2023, recurring rumors have suggested a possible conversion to Islam. Several viral videos attributing such declarations to the player have proven to be manipulations or falsified translations, notably one broadcast in April 2023 by Hannibal TV. In December 2024, his former teammate Waleed Abdullah claimed on Saudia TV that Ronaldo would be “open” to Islam and had asked him many questions about the religion, also mentioning that the player pauses for the call to prayer during training. Cristiano Ronaldo himself has never publicly expressed himself on a possible conversion and remains, to this day, officially of Catholic faith.
Cristiano Ronaldo is christian. This information has been officially confirmed.
No, Cristiano Ronaldo is not Muslim. He is of Catholic faith and has never publicly announced a conversion to Islam. Several rumors have circulated since his arrival at Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia in 2023, fueled notably by manipulated videos (such as the one broadcast by Hannibal TV in April 2023, whose subtitles were falsified) and by statements from his former teammate Waleed Abdullah in December 2024. Cristiano Ronaldo himself has never spoken in favor of a conversion.
To this day, Cristiano Ronaldo has not converted to Islam. No official statement from the player confirms such a conversion. The rumors come from third parties (former teammates, Saudi journalists) or viral videos debunked by fact-checkers. Cristiano Ronaldo continues to publicly display his Catholic faith, notably through the sign of the cross before matches.