Online Reporter
A BRIDE and groom were mobbed by 2,000 fans mistaking them for footballer Cristiano Ronaldo and his partner Georgina Rodriguez on the Portuguese island of Madeira on Sunday.
A huge crowd gathered outside Funchal Cathedral as speculation reached fever pitch that the billionaire footie ace was about to tie the knot. The ceremony turned out to be for stunned Portuguese couple Fabio Ramos and Fatima Nicole Cunha Teixeira who hail from Madeira but live in France.
But that did not stop fans believing that the 15th century Cathedral had been booked by Ronaldo, 41, and his model fiancé Georgina, 32, under a fake name. Blushing bride Fatima ended up fighting her way past a crowd of gawping onlookers — some of them wearing the star’s iconic number seven shirt — as she headed inside the venue.
Guests shouted “This is not Georgina” as she was ushered past awe struck fans taking photos on their phones. Footage of the ensuing chaos went viral on social media and was viewed by Ronaldo’s Instagram account, prompting him to respond with a series of laughing emojis.
One guest said: “This is crazy. Why does everyone think that Fabio is Cristiano Ronaldo? “The bride has been very upset, worrying that all the commotion will ruin her wedding day.”
On Sunday night, Ronaldo’s sister Katia Aveiro, 48, posted footage of her landing in Madeira for what she described as a “party” —prompting speculation the footballer’s wedding would take place after all.
Her Instagram stories showed her greeting their mum Maria Dolores, 71, in what appeared to be a hotel room. Meanwhile, staff at the five-star Savoy Palace hotel said they had been told that former Man U star Ronaldo had booked the top two floors of an exclusive section called “The Reserve.”
Ronaldo and Georgina got engaged in August last year and he previously pledged he would get married “after the World Cup.” He is due to return to Saudi Arabia, where he plays for Al-Nassr, for the start of the new season next weekend.Father Marcos Gonçalves, the parish priest of Funchal Cathedral, said: “This is the only wedding taking place here today. I do not have a booking for Cristiano Ronaldo.”
The priest added that he did not believe the footballer had booked the venue for a wedding any time soon. Dozens of fans wearing No. 7 Ronaldo shirts packed the square outside Madeira Cathedral, convinced the superstar was about to marry Georgina at the venue. — Sun.
