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This image forwarded on WhatsApp makes the following claims about Cristiano Ronaldo.

  • no tattoos (because "he donates blood twice a year and does not want to affect that")
  • doesn't drink (because "his father died of alcohol abuse problems"; also, "he doesn't want to do something that will hinder his ability")
  • doesn't smoke (also because "that will hinder his ability")

Are these claims about him true?

enter image description here

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    I'm wondering where the "notable claim" is. There are millions of people who do not to the same things, for roughly the same reasons.
    – Daniel R Hicks
    Commented May 11, 2018 at 2:06
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    @DanielRHicks According to ESPN he is the most famous athlete in the world. That doesn't necessarily make trivia questions about him notable but hopefully offers some perspective.
    – richardb
    Commented May 11, 2018 at 12:08
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    @richardb - So if he usually eats 3 meals a day, that's appropriate fodder for Skeptics?
    – Daniel R Hicks
    Commented May 11, 2018 at 12:13
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    If there's a notable claim in that picture I think it'd be the "very rare for a player at that level" part.
    – Kevin
    Commented May 12, 2018 at 0:05

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The drinking and tattoo claims seem to be true.

Does Ronaldo not have any tattoos so that he can donate blood more freely?

This seems to be correct. Various places report it online, for example Yahoo Sports. Yahoo sports cites Diretta News in its article.

that the footballer has confirmed that he has no tattoos on his body because they would prevent him from giving blood

Google Translate of Diretta News Article

Does Ronaldo refuse to drink, and is it because of his father's alcohol problems?

This, again, seems to be correct.

ESPN seems to confirm that Ronaldo's father had a drinking problem, and it made his upbringing difficult.

When Ronaldo talks about his dad now, he acknowledges the violence and alcoholism but blames his dad's war experience on his failings, when really it was just something inside Aveiro that did him in, just as it is something inside Ronaldo that made his fame and success possible, too.

Sportsmole reports that the death was due to "liver disease cirrhosis".

In terms of not drinking, we have this story from USA Today that details Ronaldo receiving libel damages from the Daily Mirror after it published a story claiming he was drinking in a club while recovering from an injury.

Real Madrid soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo has accepted libel damages from a tabloid newspaper that claimed he drank heavily and danced at a nightclub while recovering from a foot injury in Los Angeles.

Ronaldo, who says he does not drink alcohol, received an undisclosed amount of compensation and an apology from the Daily Mirror when the case came before the High Court on Monday.

Ronaldo said in a statement that he takes training and recovery from injuries seriously, adding that he would never have "gone on a bender" and danced in a nightclub after discarding his crutches as the Mirror claimed in July 2008.

I was not able to find any compelling evidence either way with regards to Cristiano Ronaldo smoking, but I would consider it unlikely considering his status as a world-class athlete.

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    'not have any tattoos so that he can donate blood more freely' - is the claim 'cannot donate blood more freely if one has tattoos' also true?
    – Say No To Censorship
    Commented May 10, 2018 at 23:33
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    @sv. - Back when I gave blood regularly in the US the rules were that you couldn't donate for some number of months (or perhaps years) after receiving a tattoo.
    – Daniel R Hicks
    Commented May 11, 2018 at 2:05
  • Also note that some of the rules for blood donation are likely based on biases -- someone with lots of tattoos likely has lots of unprotected sex, eg.
    – Daniel R Hicks
    Commented May 11, 2018 at 12:15
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    @sv. not the most definitive source but quora.com/Why-cant-people-with-tattoos-donate-blood
    – DenisS
    Commented May 11, 2018 at 14:10
  • As Ronaldo is Portugese and plays in Spain the blood donation rules from those two countries would probably be the best ones to refer to.
    – Sarriesfan
    Commented May 19, 2018 at 1:20

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