Lisbon, Jan 21 (IANS) Portuguese football star Cristiano Ronaldo has confirmed that he has broken up with Russian model Irina Shayk.
“After dating for five years, my relationship with Irina Shayk has come to an end,” he said in a statement Tuesday, reports Xinhua.
“I wish Irina the greatest happiness,” he added.
Rumours of a split up between the couple, both 29, emerged recently after the recent FIFA Ballon d’or award ceremony in Zurich, which the Russian model did not attend.
Ronaldo won the “Footballer of the Year” award at the ceremony but did not mention her name in his acceptance speech.
Shayk was also reported having unfollowed Ronaldo on social networking site Twitter.
According to the Portuguese media reports, Shayk didn’t have a cordial relationship with Ronaldo’s family and refused to attend his mother’s birthday party, which led to a disagreement and an abrupt termination of their their five-year romance.
Ronaldo broke a record in last season’s Champions League scoring 17 goals and helped his Spanish club Real Madrid clinch its 10th title.
Ronaldo has fathered a child, named Cristiano Junior, 4, with an unidentified mother in 2010. He has since taken took full custody of the child.
Portuguese media have speculated that Ronaldo might already have a new girlfriend, in Spanish journalist and presenter Lucia Villalon.