When you think of Ronaldo Nazário, you don’t just remember the goals, those blazing runs past defenders, the signature step-overs, and that unforgettable toothy smile when he lifted the World Cup.
You remember moments. Moments where soccer looked easy because he made it feel that way. Beyond the brilliance on the pitch, Ronaldo’s love life played out like a telenovela: public, layered, and deeply human.
Behind every trophy and triumph, there was always someone by his side, watching from the stands or waiting at home. From whirlwind weddings to quiet separations, his journey through love has been as eventful as his soccer career. It’s a story of passion, scandal, fatherhood, and eventual peace.
This is not just about who he married; it’s about the chapters of a man who lived under a constant spotlight, and the women who shaped parts of that life with him.
Here’s the full story of the four women who once shared a last name with R9, and one whose name never changed but whose bond remains forever through a child.
Milene Domingues (1999–2003): The Footballer Wife
When Ronaldo married Milene Domingues in April 1999, it wasn’t just another celebrity coupling; it was two footballers joining lives in a world that rarely sees that happen.
Milene, a freestyle footballer herself, once held a Guinness World Record for ball juggling, logging more than 55,000 touches. She wasn’t just his wife; she was a woman of her standing in the sport.
They met during the height of Ronaldo’s early stardom, when he was Inter Milan’s talisman, Brazil’s golden boy, and the most recognizable player in the world. The world was at his feet, and Milene was by his side.
In 2000, their son Ronaldo was born, just days before Ronaldo tore his knee in one of the worst injuries of his career.
Milene later spoke of that day, watching him collapse on TV with their baby in her arms, sitting beside his mother. It was a moment that combined joy and fear. Becoming a father and nearly losing everything within the same week.
Their marriage didn’t survive the growing pressure of fame, injuries, and constant travel. But their bond never fully broke. They separated in 2003, and while their romantic chapter closed, the co-parenting chapter began. According to Milene, the key was respect. They didn’t agree on everything, but they kept the focus on Ronald’s well-being.
To this day, she speaks of him with no bitterness, just memory. “You don’t erase the past,” she once said, “you just learn to carry it differently.”
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Daniella Cicarelli (2005): The Three-Month Whirlwind
If Milene was the grounded part of Ronaldo’s love life, Daniella Cicarelli was the storm. A Brazilian model and television host, Daniella entered his life in 2005, and everything about them felt fast and electric. The kind of relationship that could burn through cities just from the heat of its chemistry.
They weren’t officially married in legal terms, but they held a symbolic ceremony in a French château that cost over $700,000. It had the air of a royal wedding, even if the love story barely lasted three months.
Their romance made tabloid editors light cigars. Paparazzi trailed them across Europe and South America, headlines speculated over arguments, and Daniella herself later accused Ronaldo of betrayal.
He didn’t push back much. His only public comment was simple and raw: “I made mistakes.”
There were no children, no long court battles, no messy estate. Just a relationship that burned hot, collapsed fast, and lived on in tabloid archives longer than it did in real life.
Maria Beatriz Antony “Bia” (2008–2012): The Quiet Storm
By 2007, Ronaldo’s days in European football were winding down. He had just finished a season with AC Milan and was preparing for a return to Brazil. That was when he met Bia Antony, a public relations professional who wasn’t drawn to the spotlight. Their relationship came quietly, without flashy headlines or symbolic weddings in castles.
They got married in 2008 and had two daughters: Maria Sophia and Maria Alice. Bia gave him a sense of stability. They lived in Rio de Janeiro, showed up in family photos during holidays and charity events, and seemed to live a more muted life than Ronaldo’s past flames.
But in 2008, the peace broke. Ronaldo got caught in a scandal involving three trans sex workers at a hotel in Rio. The story exploded across front pages.
R9 admitted his mistake. Bia left the house. He cried in front of his mother. Brazil watched it all unfold.
And yet, they didn’t split immediately. They tried again. For a few years, they held things together, perhaps for the sake of their daughters, or maybe because they still believed in what they had. But in 2012, the marriage ended.
Despite it all, they co-parent their daughters with maturity.
You still see them together at events, united by love for the girls, if not each other. Quiet strength. That’s what Bia brought into Ronaldo’s life.
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Celina Locks (2023–Present): The Businesswoman and the Peace
If you’ve followed Ronaldo’s life closely, you’d know that something changed when he met Celina Locks. It was 2015, and Ronaldo was no longer the boy wonder but the retired legend.
He had started focusing on business, buying football clubs, and building a life outside the stadium.
Celina was 25, an entrepreneur and former model who later launched her beauty brand. From the beginning, their relationship was quieter. No scandal. No whirlwind. Just steady posts on Instagram, shared vacations, red carpet events, and a visible sense of comfort between them.
In January 2023, he proposed during a vacation in the Caribbean. They got married in a small, elegant ceremony in Ibiza in September that year.
No châteaux.
No paparazzi chaos.
Just close friends, family, and love.
Ronaldo once said of Celina, “She’s my partner in everything. She grounds me.” He has called her the love of his life. After all the public heartbreaks, scandals, and rebirths, he found someone he could walk quietly with.
Michele Umezu: The Fifth Story, Without a Ring
Sometimes, love stories don’t come with a wedding. Sometimes, they leave behind something more lasting.
Michele Umezu, a Brazilian model and fitness trainer living in Japan, met Ronaldo in 2002 during a Real Madrid tour. Their time together was short, but in 2004, Michele became pregnant. Ronaldo denied being the father. It wasn’t until 2009, after a court-ordered DNA test, that he acknowledged Alexander as his son.
The moment father and son met for the first time was described by Michele as deeply emotional. Alexander, born outside the traditional bonds of marriage, became just as important a part of Ronaldo’s life as his other children.
You see them together now in photos, at events, on vacations, just being a family. No mess, no scandal anymore. Just father and son.
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Ronaldo Nazario’s Children
- Ronald (with Milene Domingues): Born in 2000, he once played youth football in Spain but eventually followed a different path into music and DJing.
- Maria Sophia and Maria Alice (with Bia Antony): Born during his second-longest marriage, they are often seen in public with him.
- Alexander (with Michele Umezu): Initially denied, later embraced, Alexander is now part of Ronaldo’s blended family.
Despite the different homes and different mothers, R9 has managed to keep his children close. He’s often pictured with them, smiling widely, looking less like the goal machine of the past and more like a proud father finally at peace with his story.
What Is Ronaldo Up To Now?
Today, Ronaldo lives a life many would envy. He owns Cruzeiro, the club where he first burst onto the scene, and Real Valladolid in Spain. He shows up at Champions League finals, speaks at football summits, and still flashes that unmistakable grin in interviews.
His body carries the weight of all the games, but his spirit feels lighter. Maybe it’s age. Maybe it’s Celina. Or maybe it’s the long walk he’s taken through a life that was always in motion.
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