What Is the Story with Nereida Gallardo and Cristiano Ronaldo?

The love affair between Spanish beauty Nereida Gallardo and lady's man Cristiano Ronaldo began with hot titbits of gossip in the beginning of April 2008. Rumours carried the beginnings of their amorous affair back as far as January. Wait a minute! Wasn't he with Carolina Patrocinio at the time? Nereida and Ronaldo were the hottest item in footy, but after a rough go there may be permanent trouble in paradise for the two love birds.

Carolina wasn't the first TV star Ronaldo added to his wall of fame. Before her, there was Merche Romero, Gemma Atkinson, Luciana Abreu and the list goes on. He was also rumoured to have been seen with stars of a different nature at the FA Cup in Rome.

When they first started going together, Ronaldo would fly Nereida to his games just so that she could marvel at his prowess on the field. Ronaldo fans chalked it all up to a passing fad until Nereida was caught sporting a pair of 'R7' earrings in a show of devotion to her new sweetheart in May. She had no problem flaunting the fact that she had landed Ronaldo by showing up at several important games in true WAG fashion.

Controversy soon swirled around the couple. Shortly after the earring incident some very risqué and interesting photos popped up of Nereida. They were desperate attempts at a modelling career. The world quickly discovered that the word shy wasn't in the vocabulary of this 24-year old nursing assistant. The beach scenes are sure to be imprinted on the minds of many footy fans today. Ronaldo didn't seem to be bothered by the photos and had even introduced her to the family.

Sounded like bad news for Ronaldo followers and Nereida fans as well. Nereida even went so far as to advertise her hopes of marriage to the footballer later on in May of 2008. There was also a mention of the anticipation of some little Ronaldo's in the future. Not even a week later, photos were taken of Nereida sporting a rather impressive rock on her engagement finger.

The paparazzi were abuzz when news broke that Ronaldo would marry her when Portugal won the 2008 Euro Championship. The relationship seemed to blossom from there. The couple were seen 'canoodling' while on an Italian getaway, and stories surrounding the couple soon included a £4 million Cheshire mansion and an £80 000 Porsche.

The fairy tale didn't last long. Shortly after their Italian love fest, rumours began to run rampant that the two were no longer together. She promptly denied these rumours, but Ronaldo was seen a short time later with an actress in his hotel room and later admitted that he was single. Interestingly enough, Nereida has been playing the same game with a mysterious man. Are the couple going to get back together? Was Nereida digging for Ronaldo's gold? Will Ronaldo ever settle down? Fans will just have to wait to see what the next chapter in this footballer's life brings!