Rumors that Cristiano Ronaldo would marry longtime partner Georgina Rodríguez in Funchal, Madeira, sent an estimated 2,000 fans and well-wishers to the Sé Cathedral on Saturday. Ronaldo’s family had publicly denied that he was preparing to marry that weekend, but the reports still drew a massive crowd hoping to see the couple.
What Happened At The Funchal Cathedral
Widespread media reports had suggested that Ronaldo would hold a lavish wedding in his hometown. The rumor gained extra traction after Rodríguez shared vacation photos with Ronaldo in late July that appeared to show the couple wearing matching diamond-studded rings, and after reports emerged that two floors of the nearby Savoy Palace hotel had been reserved for a private event that day.
Instead, the ceremony at the cathedral belonged to another couple. When the bride arrived, she was not Rodríguez. Nicole arrived to marry Fábio, a couple who live in France and had returned home to Madeira to get married, with Fábio waiting at the altar inside. The cathedral later confirmed that journalists and tourists had created confusion outside and that staff were able to close the church before the ceremony took place. In a separate post accompanying images of the crowd, the cathedral said it had never seen anything like the difficulty Nicole faced entering the church.
Guests And Ronaldo Reacted To The Mix-Up
A guest at Nicole and Fábio’s wedding told local outlet Diario de Noticias da Madeira that the group felt like celebrities, joking, “We feel like celebrities,” and expressed surprise that people believed Ronaldo would marry without security.
Ronaldo also appeared to find the episode amusing, responding to a social media post with a series of cry-laughing emojis. He has remained quiet about when he and Rodríguez plan to marry.
What Is Known About The Couple’s Plans
Ronaldo and Rodríguez became engaged in August of the previous year. Ronaldo gave Rodríguez a ring whose stone was estimated to be as large as 30 carats and worth up to $5 million.
This is not the first time speculation has gotten ahead of the couple’s actual plans. An earlier rumor had placed their wedding at a completely different venue, Quinta da Regaleira in Sintra, for August 2, before attention shifted to Funchal Cathedral just days later.
The events in Funchal underscored the scale of interest generated by the wedding rumors. While fans gathered for a ceremony involving people who were not Ronaldo and Rodríguez, the day ultimately belonged to Nicole and Fábio.
