Coach Who Discovered Ronaldo Sadly Passes Away, Al Nassr Star Pays Emotional Tribute
- Portuguese football legend Cristiano Ronaldo has reacted to the death of his former coach Aurelio da Silva Pereira
- The Portuguese trainer, who is credited for discovering Ronaldo, died on Tuesday in his native at age 77
- Ronaldo and many other Portugal stars including Luis Nani and Figo were nurtured by the late footballer and coach
Cristiano Ronaldo has paid an emotional tribute to the coach who discovered him and other top Portuguese football stars following the announcement of his death on Tuesday.
The coach, Aurelio da Silva Pereira, died on Tuesday, April 8, 2025. He passed away aged 77.
Pereira was responsible for the creation of Sporting Lisbon's recruitment and training department in 1988, going on to unearth several talents including Luis Figo, Ricardo Quaresma and Luis Nani.
Source: Getty Images
In a post on social media, Ronaldo expressed gratitude to the trainer.
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"One of the great symbols of world formation has left us, but his legacy will live on forever. I will never cease to be grateful for everything he did for me and for so many other players. Farewell forever, Mr. Aurélio, thank you for everything. Rest in peace," wrote Ronaldo.
Portuguese football mourns Pereira
The Portuguese football community are mourning the man, who has been credited for creating a football identity for the country.
"The death of Aurelio Pereira represents an irreparable loss for Portuguese Football," the Portuguese Football Federation said in a statement.
"For history, in addition to the enormous legacy built by the man who discovered some of the best players in our history, there will be a kind person, of fine treatment and who always defended our talent."
Meanwhile, former Manchester United winger Luis Nani, who was also discovered by the legendary coach also penned an emotional message following Pereira's death.
He shared: "Thank you for everything. You were a great friend, an excellent human being, who gave me good and important advice. I'll never forget everything I learned from you, my friend."
Ronaldo unsure of scoring 1,000 goals
The Portuguese superstar could become the first player to score 1,000 goals in competitive matches.
Source: Getty Images
However, the 40-year-old will need over sixty goals to reach his wildest dream, having already netted 931 career goals.
"I now face my life living in the moment. I can't think long term anymore," Ronaldo said, as quoted by ESPN.
"I can no longer think about what I said publicly that I wanted to reach 1,000 goals. But it seems that everything is easy now, just last month I reached 900. It's about living in the moment, enjoying the moment, seeing the response that my legs will give me in the next few years. One thousand goals is great, but if it doesn't come, I'm already the player in history with the most goals."
Bukari shares Ronaldo's impact on his career
Earlier, Yen.com.gh reported that Ghana and Austin FC forward Osman Bukari admitted that he is more famous for doing Cristiano Ronaldo's iconic 'siuu' celebration during the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
The Black Stars forward has had a flying start to the season in the new Major League Soccer campaign, scoring the winning goal in Austin FC's opener against Sporting Kansas City.
Before moving to the United States, Bukari enjoyed a successful two-year spell in Serbia with Red Star Belgrade, which earned him a place in Ghana's World Cup and AFCON squads.
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Proofreading by Samuel Gitonga, copy editor at YEN.com.gh.
Source: YEN.com.gh
Lukman Mumuni (Sports Editor) Lukman Abdul Mumin is a CAF-accredited Sports Journalist based in Accra, Ghana. He has been writing for the past eight years. Lukman has worked with some of Ghana's big media houses like GMA and was a regular pundit on GTV. He started his journalism career as a presenter and a writer after studying at the Gee Way Media School. Lukman has covered several international competitions including AFCON 2023. Email: lukmanevergreen2g15@gmail.com
Samuel Gitonga (Copy editor) Samuel Gitonga is a Copy Editor at YEN.com.gh. He holds a Bachelor of Broadcast Journalism Degree from the Multimedia University of Kenya. He has over 7 years’ experience in the digital journalism industry. He started out his career at the Kenya News Agency and proceeded to work for several reputable media outlets in Nairobi.
