Scandal in Portugal as football star Cristiano Ronaldo ignores own advice and breaks lockdown for family party

FOOTBALL star Cristiano Ronaldo has sparked off a coronavirus lockdown scandal in his home country Portugal after a video posted on social media shows him out at a family get-together.

The latest controversy swirling around the Juventus forward for ignoring his own advice to fans to respect the confinement regulations comes just days after he hit the headlines for pictures showing him training at a stadium in Madeira.

In the latest images Ronaldo appears with his girlfriend Georgina Rodriguez and his mother Dolores Aveiro at what was reportedly a birthday party for his elder brother’s daughter. The clip shows there are some 20 people at the gathering in a house, none of them practising social distancing.

“When the family is in quarantine, you can celebrate your birthday well,” the niece wrote.

The former Real Madrid player arrived in Portugal on March 9 with his family after the Serie A Italian league was suspended. Nine days later aState of Alarm came into force in the country, which has since been extended to May 2.

On March 30 Ronaldo published a photograph of himself at home with his children on Facebook with the message, “In this difficult moment for the whole world, let’s be thankful for the things that matter – our health, our family, our loved ones.

“Stay home and let’s help all the health workers out there fighting to save lives. #stayhomesavelives