Thousands of fans flock to Madeira for Ronaldo's wedding, find two strangers getting married instead

How the rumor spread

The British tabloid The Sun reported early in the week that Cristiano Ronaldo (41) and Georgina Rodriguez (32) would marry on Saturday, 8 August, at the Cathedral of Funchal on Madeira, Ronaldo's birthplace. The report cited the reservation of the cathedral and two floors at the five-star Savoy Palace hotel as evidence. The date appeared plausible because the Saudi Pro League, where Ronaldo plays for Al-Nassr, was scheduled to resume the weekend of 15 August. Multiple media outlets worldwide relayed the story. Ronaldo and Rodriguez had announced their engagement publicly in August 2025 without providing further details, roughly nine years after their relationship began in 2016. Despite the lack of an official wedding date, fans booked tickets and filled the streets of the Madeiran capital.

Thousands gather in Funchal

On Saturday, crowds wearing Ronaldo's iconic number 7 jersey filled the streets around the Cathedral of Funchal. Crowd estimates varied across sources: Blick and HLN reported over 2,000 fans, Ziare cited nearly 3,000 people, while RTP and CNN Portugal, cited by Frankfurter Allgemeine, spoke of several hundred, mainly foreigners. People climbed onto walls and lampposts for a better view, and many expected the couple to be accompanied to the altar by their five children, Fanpage reported. Fans waited for hours. When a grey Rolls-Royce pulled up, the crowd surged forward with phones ready. Some shouted "It's him, it's him!" and others speculated that passengers were Ronaldo's friends, HLN reported. Instead, Fabio Santos Ramos and Fatima Nicole Cunha Teixeira stepped out of the vehicle. Both are originally from Madeira but reside in France. Fanpage reported the crowd's deflated reaction with the exclamation: "But this isn't Georgina!"

The real couple's wedding

The priest addressed the unexpected congregation, assuring those present that the couple had no connection to Cristiano Ronaldo and that theirs was the only wedding taking place that day, Ziare reported. The cathedral's official Facebook account later posted that after much confusion with journalists and tourists, they managed to close the church doors and celebrate. One guest told Diário de Notícias da Madeira that they felt famous seeing the crowd gathered in the city. Images and videos of the false wedding circulated widely on social media, Blick reported. A photographer had told t-online on Friday that Madeira was completely quiet, with no visible preparations for a lavish wedding of a superstar worth an estimated 1.5 billion euros.

Ronaldo and family react

Ronaldo responded to the chaos on social media. He commented on an Instagram post by local newspaper JM Madeira showing the crowds outside the cathedral, posting five laughing-crying emojis. Watson noted that this was unusual for Ronaldo, who normally posts only about football or his family. His sister, Elma Aveiro (53), reacted on Instagram, questioning why people believed the rumors. Meanwhile, Georgina Rodriguez posted an Instagram story showing herself in pajamas as part of a brand collaboration rather than a wedding dress. No official wedding date for Ronaldo and Rodriguez has been announced.