Cristiano Ronaldo breaks-up with girlfriend Irina Shayk

Footballer calls off five-year romance with model after she refused to attend his mother's 60th birthday party in his hometown Madeira

One of international sport's most glamourous couples, Portugal's star footballer Cristiano Ronaldo and his supermodel girlfriend Irina Shayk (both 29) have split.


Russian model Irina Shayk. Pic/Getty Images 

According to Portuguese newspaper Correio da Manha, Shayk's refusal to attend the Real Madrid striker's mother Maria Dolores' 60th birthday party planned by Ronaldo in his hometown of Madeira is the reason for the split.

Post-Christmas issue
It is learnt that the couple and Ronaldo's son Cristiano Junior spent Christmas together in Dubai after which they were scheduled to travel to Portugal to celebrate Ronaldo's mother's birthday and then Shayk would move to New York, where she has a host of modeling commitments. However, Shayk was reluctant to travel to Madeira, and this led to a huge argument between the couple.

The Portuguese publication quoted a source saying: "Cristiano wanted to surprise his mum. As he had spent Christmas with Irina in Dubai, he had planned to be with his mum on her birthday, but Irina didn't want to go.


Cristiano Ronaldo

They had such a big row that he ended up spending New Year's Eve alone with his son. Irina mouthed off about Dolores and Ronaldo took sides with his mum. It was the straw that broke the camel's back because they had hadn't been getting on well in the last few months."

Absent in Zurich
Shayk was notably absent from this week's Ballon d'Or ceremony in Zurich, where Ronaldo won the title of world's best footballer for the second consecutive year. Last year, Shayk was seen playing the role of supporting girlfriend to Ron and step-mom to his son on the red carpet.

However, despite the couple's break-up being cited as the reason for Shayk's absence at the award function in Zurich, her representatives insist that her inability to attend the awards gala was due to her work commitments.

According to a Shayk's representative: "She has been very close with his family throughout the course of their relationship. Any negative rumours with regards to Irina and the Ronaldo family are completely false, and have not been a factor in the cause of the spilt. "

Ronaldo and the Russian beauty began dating in 2010, after meeting on the set of a commercial shoot for Armani.

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