Cristiano Ronaldo returns home with his newborn daughter after the death of her twin brother

Football superstar Cristiano Ronaldo said on Instagram that his partner, Georgina Rodríguez, and their newborn daughter returned home on Thursday following the death of their newborn son.

In October, Ronaldo had announced that he and Rodríguez were expecting twins, and in December revealed they were expecting a boy and a girl. Earlier this week, however, he announced that their son had sadly passed away.

"Home sweet home," Ronaldo wrote on Instagram under a picture of his family. "Gio and our baby girl are finally together with us. We want to thank everyone for all the kind words and gestures. Your support is very important and we all felt the love and respect that you have for our family."

Since Ronaldo announced the loss of his newborn son, the football world has offered condolences to the Manchester United player.

On Tuesday, when Manchester United played Liverpool at Anfield, the crowd participated in a minute's applause during the seventh minute of the game in support of the five-time Ballon d'Or winner and his family. Ronaldo's shirt number at United is seven.

A United shirt with Ronaldo's name and number was held up at the away end by the visiting fans, while both sets of players had walked onto the pitch wearing black armbands.

"Now it's time to be grateful for the life that we've just welcomed into this world," Ronaldo said on his Instagram post.

Ronaldo's first child with Rodríguez, Alana Martina, was born in November 2017. He is also father to fraternal twins Eva and Mateo, whom he welcomed via surrogate in June 2017, as well as his son Cristiano Jr,11, whom he shares with a former partner who has never been publicly named.