Famous footballers caring supermoms

Behind every successful footballer, there is a story. Of trials and tribulations, of loss and hope and tapping into their talent to score life’s goal. But, one person has silently stood firmly behind these stars, those are definitely the players’ heroes, their mothers. The following article is mainly about some footballers who are excessively attached to their mothers.

Mothers can either be incredibly annoying or very insightful depending on how old you are. But their love is unwavering and they always find the strength to ensure a good life for their children.

Footballers' moms are obviously no different. Here are the top cases where some powerful moms went above and beyond the call of duty to help their sons chase their dreams.

The bond between mothers and children is very strong, kids are fond of their mothers and the mothers can shower love on their children unconditionally. But it is the duty of every father to provide for the family, and mothers are known to manage the resources provided by the father.

Some mothers played the role of the father in the absence of their husband and raised their kids to become great footballers.

Famous footballers caring supermoms:

It is usually believed that mothers always know best even if you're among the biggest footballers on the planet. Here are the top footballers whose moms played a huge role in their success.

Maria Dolores Aveiro – Cristiano Ronaldo

The first on the list of the

famous footballers’ mothers

is Maria Aveiro,

’s mother. He is a Portuguese player and one of the greatest footballers of all time, Ronaldo's father was never present to perform his duties as a father because he was a drunk.

His mother Maria solely raised him although she initially never wanted to have Ronaldo. She trained and natured Ronaldo and today he is one of the greatest football sensations.

Maria Dolores dos Santos Aveiro famously remarked she almost aborted Cristiano Ronaldo when she first found out about her pregnancy. It's a good thing she didn't because then the world would've missed out on possibly one of the most hardworking and talented players ever.

Born with a racing heart condition, young Ronaldo needed treatment in order to fulfil his dreams of becoming a footballer. He went on to have heart surgery at the tender age of 15, however, the road was anything but easy.

Dolores Aveiro, the mother of the Portugal skipper, opened up about the Cristiano Ronaldo heart surgery at a very young age. Dolores revealed that the doctors used a sort of laser to cauterize the source of the problem. She added that the Cristiano Ronaldo heart surgery was done in the morning and he came out at the end of the afternoon.

His father passed away when he was just 20, meaning that he missed out on most of Ronaldo's exemplary achievements. However, his mother did everything she could to ensure the Portuguese ace turned into the sensation he is today.

She took care of his footballing commitments when he was a child and also played a role in helping him manage his finances until he turned 18. And now, she is reaping the fruits of her many sacrifices as she spends most of her time taking care of her grandchildren.

Ronaldo's mother had already been operated in 2007. At that time, the

striker donated about 100 thousand euros to the hospital that had treated her after the first surgery.

Throughout his career, Maria has been more than a mother to Ronaldo, probably also a part of his strength. Although in her autobiography "Mother Courage", she revealed that she had thought about abortion when she discovered that she was pregnant with CR7.

Cristiano always puts himself second when it comes to his mother Maria, who is often seen alongside her beaming son. The five-time Ballon d’Or winner even brought his mom along in Italy for his new club signing.

The mother recently admitted that she almost aborted Ronaldo when she discovered the pregnancy but later changed her mind.

Maria Dolores said, “He is a child that I wanted to abort. God didn’t want that to happen and I was blessed because of that and God didn’t punish me.

Sometimes Ronaldo makes fun of me and says ‘You didn’t want me to be born. But now you see that I’m here helping all of you.’ And, well, sometimes we have a laugh about that.”

In relation to the absent father, Ronaldo said he was always drunk, “He would drink nearly every day,” said Ronaldo. “It frustrates me that he was never able to see my successes.”

The interesting point about Dolores Aveiro, the mother of Cristiano Ronaldo, is that she doesn't want to see her son marry current partner

as she believes the Argentine-born model has economic motives for a union.

The Portuguese star is believed to be very happy with Georgina, with whom he shares a family life in Manchester, where they live with Cristiano Junior, Eva, Mateo, and Alana, with the latter being the daughter they had together.

Indeed, it has been reported that the model is waiting on a proposal, but the Manchester United forward's family are the main stumbling block to a potential wedding.

This is despite the mother’s comments that she gets on well with Georgina and that she appreciates the support she gives Cristiano Ronaldo!

Cristiano spent thousands of dollars to gift Georgina the ultimate birthday present with a laser show on the facade of the famous Burj Khalifa tower in Dubai where they were holidaying.

In the documentary, ‘I Am Georgina’, Ronaldo commented on their wedding, “I always tell Georgina that when we get that click, like everything with our life and she knows what I’m talking about.

“It could be in a year, or it could be in six months or in a month. I’m 1000 per cent sure it will happen.”

Celia María Cuccittini – Lionel Messi

Messi's mother, Celia María Cuccittini is among the

professional football players mothers

. She played an important role in his growth and development as a footballer.

Like Ronaldo, the Barcelona star was born with a condition that threatened to end his footballing career even before he started. When his parents realized that as a child,

wasn't growing as much as his friends, they took him to a doctor and realized he had a hormone deficiency that restricted his growth.

The treatment expenses proved to be too much for his parents to bear but that did not stop them. Initially, they reached out to the club he was with at the time - Newell's Old Boys. They helped him a bit but Celia knew that it wouldn't be enough in the long run.

After a few more trials and tribulations, Barcelona came into the mix and offered to pay for his treatment after he impressed during the trials. Immediately, his family decided to move to Spain to help young Messi stay closer to what would end up becoming the most crucial place in his career.

Messi often credits his grandmother for taking him to football coaching and getting him his first pair of boots but unfortunately, she passed away when he was 10. Well, she may have planted the seeds but it was Celia and his father Jorge who helped him achieve his dreams.

Messi’s bond with his mother is very well known as the football star has tattooed he face on his back.

According to Lionel Messi's ex-girlfriend, once they were shopping when an incredible thing happened. Lionel Messi's mom saw his ex and attacked her with a frying pan! So, his fans commented on social media, “don't date Lionel Messi unless his mom also approves!”

Nadine Santos – Neymar

Among well-known

footballer's moms

is Nadine Santos, better known as Nadine Gonçalves. She supported her family, especially her two children,

and

, through every stages of their lives.

Nadine is Neymar’s mother and best friend and the president of the social organization “The Neymar Jr. Project Institute”, supported by her son. She supported her son at the time when he was accused of raping a girl.

The Brazilian model applied to the court, where she told that Neymar had raped her in a hotel room. The football player denied all the accusations and considered them as an attempt to blackmail him. The case was never referred to the court, and the athlete’s mother asked her son through Instagram “to forgive that girl for the sake of God.”

Gonçalve was previously married to Neymar Santos, Sr. He was a former footballer himself, Neymar Sr. became his son’s first coach. He is the first person who spotted his son’s talent for football and helped him develop it. Since the very beginning, Mr. Santos Sr. manages his son’s career.

He remains his agent till now. “My father takes care of everything”, confessed Neymar in one of his interviews. The footballer’s father is a family man. He spends a lot of time with his wife, kids, and grandson Davi Lucca.

Neymar Jr. actually has a tattoo of his mother’s name on the outer part of his left wrist, encased between a heart and an infinity symbol, and a portrait of her face inked on his right bicep, right beside a picture of his sister.

Gonçalve and Neymar Santos, Sr. announced their divorce. After 25 years of marriage, Nadine and Neymar Sr. parted ways in 2016.

Neymar lived with his father (Neymar Sr), and his sister Rafaella who often visited Brazil as well. Their mother Goncalves stayed in Brazil but is currently visiting them.

Reports broke in April 2020 suggesting Neymar's mother, 52, was dating the 23-year-old Brazilian, who is a model and a gamer. Subsequently, Neymar's mother shared a picture of herself with Tiago Ramos on her social media handles.

Neymar, who is almost six years elder to Tiago Ramos, seemed to approve his mother's latest relationship after he commented on the post: "Be happy mom - Love you".

Later, reports indicated Nadine Goncalves had dumped Tiago Ramos after she found out that he had dated numerous other men and women before her.

Tiago Ramos reportedly dated Neymar's chef Mauro before getting into a relationship with his mother. The PSG superstar's mother was reportedly shocked when allegations of domestic violence were made against Tiago Ramos.

Sandra Diaz – Luis Suarez

is from Uruguay and one of the best strikers in the world, his parents separated when he was a young boy, his mother took care and made him the great man he is now.

This footballers knew where they were coming from and worked so hard to be in the position they are now. There is an old saying, ‘do not let your condition make you think you cannot achieve anything.’

Barcelona and Uruguay striker is without a doubt one of the best strikers in the World today. However did you know that he grew up with his single mom?

His parents separated when he was nine years. It was his mom who did all the work after that to get the forward where he is today. He saw some controversies during his career especially in regard to biting but that aside he is a great striker.

Luis Suarez's mom is no other person but Sandra Diaz. Sandra is like most mothers, close to her son, and has vivid memories of his childhood despite raising 6 other children.

Though it is difficult to spot Suarez and his mother in a photo, she is notwithstanding his greatest supporter and had once defended the football genius after he was accused of racist remarks against Patrice Evra. She also has a new husband with whom she lives happily with.

Luis Suarez's dad is Rodolfo Suarez. Rodolfo is a former soldier and ex-footballer who played for Deportivo Artigas.

Contrary to widespread reports, Rodolfo didn't abandon his children after his divorce with Suarez's mother. He stayed close even after starting another marital relationship with his new partner Carolina.

"There is always a good vibe between us. We go to parties together and have a great time. There are no hard feelings between us. We are a very close family," Said Rodolfo.

Yeo Moriba – Paul Pogba

's mother, Yeo Moriba, brought up her three boys alone while living in a council flat in Paris. She raised them to value love and family above everything else.

One of their neighbors from their home in Paris said, "Yeo wanted the very best for all of them from day one, but this was nothing to do with money. She absolutely adored her boys and didn’t care who knew it.

"Day-to-day life could be a struggle, but she knew all the boys were going places. If anybody did anything to upset them or hold them back, then Yeo did not care about upsetting anyone or losing money. She just wanted her boys to be happy."

The boys often refer to her as 'super-mom' and well, she lived up to that towards the end of Pogba's first spell with Manchester United as a youngster.

She played a role in convincing Pogba to exit the club in 2012. In an interview back then, she said, "We got together with Paul’s brothers and decided that he would not sign a new deal.

"Ferguson punished him by never playing Paul. He was alone. He even cried in Ferguson’s office because of the way he was treated."

To stand up against one of the biggest football managers of all time is no mean feat. It might not have been the ideal way to handle things or even the "right" way but Yeo didn't care. Her son's happiness continues to be her biggest priority and that's all she cares about.

Yeo Moriba has proved to be a super mom by bringing up her three sons single-handedly after she separated from her husband Fassou Antoine Pogba, in 1996. Yeo raised her three boys alone on France's toughest council estate but gladly they all turned into something.

Paul Pogba’s elder twin brothers, Mathias and Florentin, are also professional footballers. Paul Pogba has in the past admitted that his mother is his greatest source of inspiration. During an interview in 2017, the France player said his mother is his first girlfriend.

Carine Hazard – Eden Hazard

probably belongs to one of the most football-crazed families ever. Everyone in his family plays the beautiful game - including his mother, who used to play as a striker back in the day.

In fact, the world listened in amazement as it was revealed that she played football even while she was three months pregnant with Eden. So, the seeds had been planted even before Eden came into the world.

From the time that he was born, Carine Hazard played a role in shaping and developing Eden's skills. The love for the beautiful game is strong in the family but Carine almost played an invisible hand as a young Eden discovered and fell in love with his insane skills.

At the age of 4, he joined a local football club named Royal Stade Brainois and from there on, the rest is history.

The Hazard family is a footballing family and, in addition to his brothers, Eden's mother and father both played the sport. His father Thierry played to a semi-professional level, whilst his mother Carine was a forward in the Belgian professional league.

Hazard's Mom used any opportunity to play football and only stopped because she was pregnant with the first of her four children.

She was a striker who loved scoring goals and ended up playing in the Women's first division in Belgium. When she was three months pregnant, she had to call it a day. Although her love and skills at football were passed down to her children.

Every child whom Carine gave birth to ended up becoming a footballer. After Eden, is Thorgan, whose career has taken an upturn in recent years. He even managed to make his debut with Eden in the Belgium national team.

After them, is Kylian. Like Eden, he tried to forge a career at Chelsea, but recently, after having been sent out on loan, he has ended up at Cercle Brugge.

Nadine Sterling – Raheem Sterling

The England star spent the early years of his life without his mom as she worked to earn a better life for the family.

has revealed how his mom made the heartbreaking decision to leave him at two years old to help him fulfil his dreams.

Nadine moved over 4,500 miles from Jamaica to London, leaving her family behind shortly after Sterling's father was murdered. England superstar Sterling was brought up by his grandmother and followed his mother three years later at the age of five.

By relocating the family, Nadine allowed Sterling to begin playing football in London, where he was eventually being picked up by Queens Park Rangers, starting a career that has propelled him to the summer's World Cup finals then."When I was two years old, my father was murdered. That shaped my entire life," Sterling said reporters.

"Not long after that, my mom made the decision to leave me and my sister in Jamaica and go to England so she could get her degree and give us a better life." For a few years, we lived with our grandmother in Kingston, and I remember watching the other kids with their moms and just feeling really jealous."

I didn’t fully understand what my mom was doing for us. I just knew that she was gone. My grandma was amazing, but everybody wants their mom at that age."

After moving to London, in the shadows of Wembley Stadium, Sterling admits that he struggled initially with the change of cultures. He found himself continually moving house as the family struggled to pay rent, while Sterling and his siblings would join his mother as she scrubbed toilets clean in a hotel at 5am to earn extra cash.

"My mom was working as a cleaner at some hotels to make extra money so she could pay for her degree," Sterling recalled. "I’ll never forget waking up at five in the morning before school and helping her clean the toilets at the hotel in Stonebridge.

"I’d be arguing with my sister, like, 'No! No! You got the toilets this time. I got the bed sheets. '"But rent troubles are no more, as making it to the top of the footballing pyramid has allowed Sterling to repay the favor to his mother.

Nadine now lives in a plush property bought by Sterling, as he fulfills his vow to repay her for years of graft to provide a better life.

Sterling said, "If people want to write about my mom’s bathroom in her house, all I have to tell you is that 15 years ago, we were cleaning toilets in Stonebridge and getting breakfast out of the vending machine. "If anybody deserves to be happy, it’s my mom."

Raheem Sterling has been through a lot with his mother. The pair immigrated to the UK from Jamaica when the

winger was just five years old and they then had to deal with his father's murder a few years later.

As the England international grew up to become one of the most sought after teenagers in world football, he made sure to bring his mom along for the ride and having already bought her a mansion, it might be tough to top that today.

Adriana Agüero – Sergio Aguero

All the stories so far have been about mothers helping their kids after they were born. But in

's case, we have a story wherein the mother fought hard even before he was born.

Adriana Aguero gave birth to her first child Jessica when she was 17 and her husband was 19. Finances were an issue but they were able to get enough material together to build a small home.

After finding out that she was pregnant with her second child, things got tougher. In March 1988, the place they lived in was battered by heavy storms that ended up causing terrible floods. They had to be evacuated to a different place and managed to survive, even as 24 people lost their lives.

A lengthy period of hardships followed that involves sleeping on the floor of a religious school. Subsequently, Adriana and her family returned home.

However, six-and-a-half months into her pregnancy, she went into labor but the local hospital did not have the equipment needed to help her situation.

As a result, they had to make a strenuous three-hour journey by switching two buses and a train to Buenos Aires. She ended up staying in that hospital for two months as he was advised to prolong her pregnancy.

Adriana was kept in a small room with no company as her husband tried to balance multiple jobs and also took care of Jessica.

Finally, when the due date arrived, the doctors had informed her that the baby was stuck and that they may need to use forceps but Adriana refused as she feared it would impact her child. She ended up putting her life at risk to ensure Sergio Aguero was born.

Later, Aguero would describe his mother as a strict figure but had she not made the choice to risk her life, the former Manchester City superstar would have perhaps not been born.

Melanie Rashford – Marcus Rashford

The 24-year-old striker has often spoken about his mother's influence on his career. As he forced the UK government into making a U-turn on their school meal voucher scheme for vulnerable children,

did not hesitate to open up about the struggles he faced in his childhood.

“My mom was a single parent, she had 5 kids in the house. The program that I started at 11, you're supposed to start it at 12 years old.

It gives you accommodation closer to the training facilities and a new school and she worked hard to push it forward, she knew that was a step I needed to take.) needed to be eating the right food as I was growing, I needed to be close to my team-mates, my new school and my new friends.

She made that decision when I was 11 and United allowed it. That was the reason I ended up going at a younger age to the others, it was to help my mom with her situation and also get me out of the situation we were in,” Rashford told about his Mom.

However, through it all, he credited his mother for standing strong even though she was a single mother raising five children on minimum wages.

Melanie Rashford said, “I used to say to the kids sometimes that I’d already eaten because they used to say to me: ‘Have you had yours?’ and I’d say: ‘Yeah’ but I didn’t have anything to eat.”

From convincing United to give him a chance a year early to going out of her way to feed Rashford and his siblings, Melanie has indeed done it all.

Melanie is one of the

famous footballers caring supermoms

as Rashford said he would be giving the MBE medal to his mom, Melanie Maynard, who raised five siblings while working full-time on minimum wage in Manchester.

Jacqueline Pardo – Arturo Vidal

is a great footballer from Chile and he plays for the Italian team, Inter Milan. His mother’s name is Jacqueline Pardo and she separated with her husband Erasmo when Vidal was still a boy. She worked as a cleaner to take care of Vidal with a lot of effort and hard work.

The Chile star Arturo Vidal was raised by his mother Jacqueline Pardo in a poverty stricken neighborhood in Chile Capital.

Vidal father, Erasmo Vidal, separated with his mother when he was only 5 years old. This happened after an altercation involving a bed his parents used at the time. Vidal was forced to become the ‘Man of the house’ to help out his mom who was working as a cleaner.

Vidal has been the bread winner for his family ever since. In an interview, he said, “My mother has worked so hard. Of course I help in everything I can. I feel responsible for my younger brothers and long assumed a parental role, I’m like a father and a model figure, I really like it and I do fondly.”

Grace Sturridge – Daniel Sturridge

(born 1 September 1989) is an English professional footballer who most recently played as a striker for A-League club Perth Glory and the England national team.

Sturridge spent four years in the Aston Villa academy before moving to Coventry City. Sturridge did not endure a rough childhood like everyone on the list, but he still grew up in a mummy’s boy.

His mother’s words tell it all “Daniel’s cooking skills are definitely coming on, and with his sport, he fully understands nutrition and healthy eating, but he still calls me for help sometimes.”

Martina Sánchez – Alexis Sanchez

is an Inter Milan player who revealed that his father left the family while he was a young boy, and his mother was left alone to take care of the family.

His father, Gullermo Soto, was a jobless man and his mother, Martina Sanchez, worked multiple jobs such as washing fish, selling fish, etc.

Things got out of hand that he could not buy football kits and therefore he had to borrow from people. After an excellent performance at an under 14 level, he was offered a pair of boot.

Former Arsenal and Chilean star is a great player today known all over the World. However, according to his recent interview, things were bad when he was growing up.

He revealed that his father abandoned his family when he was only five years old leaving his mother to take care of them. He says things got so bad that he could not even afford football boots.

He was given his first pair by the Mayor of Tocopila after scoring eight goals in a single match at U-14 level.

He also said that the reason why England can’t go far in the World Cup is because players are too soft, “I used to wash cars for such little money just so I had enough money to buy my football boots. When you are at academies like Manchester United and Arsenal, then everything is just given to you.”

“My family was so poor that football for me was about survival. I told my mother from a young age, ‘Don’t worry, I will become a football player and get us out of this situation’.

“If I had failed, I would be working 15-hour days on construction sites and still not be earning enough to live. Football saved me, and I don’t think any England players could say that,’’ said Sanchez.

Vera Lúcia Diniz de Jesus – Gabriel Jesus

As a striker at City and number nine for Brazil,

dedicates the greatest accolade he can to his mother with he's on the pitch with his 'Alô Mãe' celebration. Vera is rightly on the list of the

famous footballers caring supermoms

.

In an exclusive interview, the forward spoke candidly about his hero, "She is a fighter," he said. "She worked a lot to give me and my brothers a good life."

Despite the difficult circumstances, she never let us go without food and a place to live." Today, she is living my dream alongside me because she helped me a lot. My mother deserves all of my love."

“My mother is my warrior... she is the boss.” Premier League's Brazilian wonderkid Gabriel Jesus, still gets pocket money from his mom who insists on controlling his salary.

Strict Vera, who raised her four children alone in a poor district of Sao Paulo, reportedly controls almost every aspect of her famous son's life, from the food he eats to where he goes out, and even the girls he meets.

Rather than feeling trapped, Jesus appreciates his mother's influence over his life. He describes Vera, who raised four children by herself in a poor district of Sao Paulo, as a 'woman warrior.'

He may have signed for Manchester city for an eye-watering £27million from Brazilian side Palmeiras, but Vera still refers to her little boy by his nickname 'Baby' - and forbids him from going out on the town, drinking alcohol or smoking

Vera, who moved to Manchester to help him settle down at his new club, also has strict rules for the Brazilian starlet when it comes to his relationships. In an interview, she said that potential girlfriends have to live by her rules and there will be no heavy kissing!

Vera said in an interview, “Girlfriends have to live by my rules, and there'll be no heavy kissing. Staying over, only once in a while.”

“I will never accept that my son disrespects the daughters of others. No son of mine is going to get someone else's daughter pregnant. I demand respect because I raised all three of them on my own, with the help of God.”

The player once described her mother as 'harder to dribble than any defender I've ever faced'.

Cora Schensema – Memphis Depay

The great player who have been making waves in Europe, was raised by a single mother. At a very early age his father left them and his mother took care of him, when he was signed he refused printing "Depay" on his jersey, because his father, Dennis Depay, did not contribute anything in his upbringing.

 “Those things are a part of my life. It is not a part of football. It is a different thing. I have a life next to football,” said Memphis.

Since 2012, Memphis has dropped his last name to sever ties with his father; as he has remarked earlier, "Do not call me Depay, call me Memphis."

Cora Schensema calls the relationship with her son

special. And that’s not just, she says, because she has to share it with the rest of the world. The band is also special, because the two of them went through so many difficult moments together. But now there is peace.

Partly thanks to a farm in Heeten that the football player of the Dutch national team bought for his mother five years ago.

Mother of Memphis Depay commented on his son’s tough childhood, “It’s just a game, I always tell him.”

His mother's partner, Dick, also left them when he was just a teenager after he won a lottery and he lost his closest grandfather a few years after his father left him, which was a big shock to him.

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