On June 24, two severe earthquakes struck Venezuela, devastating areas including La Guaira and Caracas. The disasters killed more than 2,600 people and destroyed homes across the region [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]. Among the victims was 10-year-old Andrés Mieles, who lost his parents, brother, and his right leg in the tragedies [6, 1, 7, 8, 2, 3, 9, 10, 4, 5].
While still hospitalized and undergoing treatment, Andrés expressed a wish to collect a Cristiano Ronaldo sticker to complete his 2026 World Cup sticker album [6, 1, 7, 8, 2, 10, 4, 5]. Responding to this, Ronaldo recorded a heartfelt video message sending Andrés a “big hug” and encouraging him to stay strong. "I want to invite you to come watch one of my matches once you are feeling better," Ronaldo said in the video, adding that he looked forward to meeting the boy [6, 1, 7, 8, 2, 3, 9, 10, 4, 5].
Along with the message, Ronaldo sent a signed Portugal national team jersey. Venezuelan musician Armando Poyo and others delivered the jersey to Andrés at the hospital [6, 1, 7, 8, 2, 10, 4, 5]. Ronaldo’s partner, Georgina Rodríguez, had also donated relief supplies to assist those affected by the earthquake [6].
Andrés remains hospitalized with no confirmed date yet for attending a match in person [3, 9]. Meanwhile, Ronaldo helped Portugal advance in the World Cup, with a recent win over Croatia and a forthcoming match against Spain [1, 7, 8, 2, 5].
The outreach from Ronaldo provided a moment of hope amid ongoing recovery efforts in Venezuela following the June 24 earthquakes.
