Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez were nowhere near the church, but that did not stop hundreds of fans and journalists from descending on a cathedral in Madeira after widespread ruamours claimed the couple were set to marry there. The speculation grew despite public denials from Ronaldo’s family, and ultimately left an entirely different bride and groom navigating an unexpected crowd on what was supposed to be their wedding day.
Wedding rumours spread despite public denials
Speculation over Ronaldo and Rodríguez’s wedding gathered pace after reports claimed the couple would tie the knot on Saturday in Funchal, the Portuguese superstar’s hometown on the island of Madeira.The rumours continued to circulate even after Ronaldo’s sister, Elma Aveiro, publicly dismissed them. Responding to the reports on Instagram, she questioned why people believed Ronaldo was getting married when “he’s never even announced it himself,” while also criticising the continued media speculation surrounding the couple’s personal life.Ronaldo himself also appeared to find the entire episode amusing. After a video showing hundreds of fans, tourists and journalists gathered outside Sé Cathedral in Madeira waiting for what they believed would be his wedding went viral on social media, the Al-Nassr captain reacted to an Instagram post shared by Jornal da Madeira with a string of laughing emojis, seemingly poking fun at the extraordinary scene unfolding in his hometown.ID@undefined Caption not available.
Fans gather outside the cathedral
According to ESPN, the rumours nevertheless prompted hundreds of supporters, tourists and media members to gather outside Sé Cathedral in Funchal, hoping to witness one of football’s biggest stars getting married.Instead, the ceremony taking place belonged to another couple entirely.As crowds lined the streets holding phones and cameras, the bride eventually arrived—but it was not Georgina Rodríguez. A woman named Nicole entered the cathedral to marry Fábio, who was waiting inside for the ceremony.The confusion was later acknowledged by the cathedral itself.In a post shared on its official Facebook page, the cathedral wrote: “Congratulations to the couple Nicole and Fábio. After a lot of confusion on the street with so many journalists and tourists, we finally managed to close the church and celebrate.”In another post accompanying photographs of the crowds outside, the cathedral added: “We’ve never seen anything like this here in Sé. It was very difficult for the bride to enter the Sé church to get married.”
Guests found humour in the situation
Although the unexpected attention created obvious disruption, some of the wedding guests chose to see the funny side of the episode.Speaking to local outlet Diario de Noticias da Madeira,one guest joked: “We feel like celebrities.”The guest also questioned the rumours, adding: “I find it impressive that these people think Ronaldo would get married today without security.”The wedding ultimately went ahead as planned, although in front of a far larger audience than Nicole and Fábio had ever anticipated.
No confirmation of wedding plans
Ronaldo and Rodríguez have been together for several years and became engaged in August last year, when the Portugal captain proposed with a ring reportedly featuring a diamond estimated at around 30 carats and valued at as much as $5 million.Despite persistent speculation, neither Ronaldo nor Rodríguez has announced a wedding date.While supporters arrived in Madeira expecting to witness one of football’s biggest celebrity weddings, the day ultimately belonged to Nicole and Fábio, whose ceremony unexpectedly became the centre of worldwide attention because of rumours involving two people who were never there.
