Cristiano Ronaldo's brother sends heartbreaking promise to footballer after epic win

Serie A - Juventus v AS Roma - Allianz Stadium, Turin, Italy - August 1, 2020 Juventus' Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates with the trophy after winning the Serie A [COURTESY]

Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the most talented and successful footballers on the planet.

But he isn't the only one in his family to have displayed skill with a ball when he was a child - his older brother, Hugo Aveiro, was also a skilled player when they were both young.

He was described as a talented 'street player'.

Childhood friend Joel Santos told The Sun: "I didn't know Hugo back then. But everybody who knew says he was a better footballer than Ronaldo."

However, his skill never matched that of his younger sibling and he has struggled with issues around alcohol and drugs.

Tragically the boys' father, Jose Dinis Aveiro, also battled alcohol addiction and passed away in 2005 aged just 51 from liver failure.

Juventus' Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo leaves the pitch at the end of the Italian Serie A football match AC Milan vs Juventus played behind closed doors on July 7, 2020 at the San Siro stadium in Milan [COURTESY]

For Ronaldo, it made him determined never to follow the same path and he vowed never to drink.

His mum, Dolores, said: "Cristiano has seen what drink and drugs can do to people close to him and it's part of the reason why he's become who he is today.

Dinis drank himself into an early grave which left Cristiano devastated. Time and again, Cristiano offered to pay to get him treatment but Dinis kept on drinking."

Devastatingly, Hugo followed his father's footsteps into addiction.

Ten years older than Cristiano, Hugo and his brother had always been close - and the superstar footballer was determined to do all his could to help his sibling fight his demons.

It was after the Champions League final in 2014 that Ronaldo begged his brother to get help.

He was the star Real Madrid player in their stunning 4-1 victory over Atletico Madrid and when the final whistle blew, Ronaldo rushed straight to hug one fan - his big brother.

Their emotional embrace was caught on camera - but behind their hug was a heartbreaking pact.

Ronaldo told his brother that he had fulfiled his half of the bargain, lifting the Champions League trophy for his beloved club, but now his brother had his part to play.

CR7 told Hugo that he now had to quit drinking to complete his part of the pact.

However, Ronaldo was determined his brother that he would not go it alone and he would be with him every step of the way.