After a decade together, football superstar Cristiano Ronaldo and his model partner Georgina Rodríguez tied the knot this month in a low-key ceremony in the living room of their Portugal mansion.
Shortly after confirming they were married with a photo of their wedding rings on social media, it was reported that the couple signed a prenuptial agreement. Along with the "separation of assets," the wedding certificate, made public by Portuguese newspaper Jornal de Noticias, revealed that they did not change their surnames after saying 'I do'.
Rhianna Manani, a barrister specialising in family law at No.5 Chambers, tells HELLO! the couple's arrangement "isn't necessarily about mistrust".
© Instagram/ @georginagio'It isn't necessarily about mistrust'
"What’s particularly interesting in Cristiano and Georgina’s case is the reported decision to keep their pre-marital assets separate," the barrister says.
"After a decade-long relationship, both will have accumulated assets and wealth before becoming husband and wife, and arrangements like these can provide clarity over what each person brought into the marriage and what they intend to keep separate."
She adds: "Some people might think it’s surprising that, after a decade together, Cristiano and Georgina would still want to keep their pre-marital assets separate, but from a family law perspective it can be a very sensible approach. It isn’t necessarily about mistrust. It’s about both people going into a marriage with clarity about their financial position."
Is it legally binding?
Ronaldo and Georgina tied the knot on 11 August in a civil ceremony in Cascais at their family home near Lisbon. The wedding was attended by the couple's five children and four witnesses, including Ivana Rodríguez, Georgina's sister. Miguel José, a close friend of Ronaldo's, was also listed as a witness to the nuptials.
Rhianna explains that the timing of a prenup is "important" and should be agreed ideally 28 days ahead of the ceremony. Meanwhile, already married couples can look at getting a postnuptial agreement instead.
While the pair tied the knot in Portugal, the barrister notes: "In England and Wales, prenups aren’t automatically legally binding, but they are absolutely recognised by the courts and a properly prepared agreement can carry significant weight if a marriage later breaks down."
"For a court to give effect to a prenup, it should have been freely entered into by both people, with full financial disclosure and independent legal advice. Crucially, it also needs to be fair."
Financial details
Reports also claimed Georgina would receive £85,000 monthly payments should the couple split and that Ronaldo's mansion in Madrid was signed under his wife's name.
With regards to the alleged family home and lifetime financial support, Rhianna adds: "It’s not unusual for the family home and mortgage payments to form part of a prenuptial agreement. People often think that a prenuptial agreement is used to protect the party with the most assets, but this reported clause is actually a great example of how a prenuptial agreement can offer protection to the party who isn’t in the better financial position, as well as the children.”
© InstagramThe barrister explains: "A prenup can deal with a wide range of financial matters and assets, including property, pensions, investments, stocks and shares. It can also set out how assets owned before the marriage are intended to be treated. What a prenup can’t do is determine arrangements for child custody."
Georgina is a stepmother to Ronaldo's three eldest children. She welcomed her first child with Ronaldo, a daughter named Alana, in 2017, followed by twins Bella Esmerelda and Ángel in 2022. Their baby boy Ángel sadly passed away during childbirth.
Rhianna tells HELLO! it is "simply not the case" that prenups are "only for the super-rich, or that having one means you’re setting your marriage up to fail."
"While Cristiano and Georgina are obviously dealing with an extraordinary level of wealth, the principle behind protecting pre-marital assets isn’t exclusive to multimillionaires. It can be relevant to anyone entering a marriage with property, investments, a business, inheritance or other assets they want to protect," she says.
