Cristiano Ronaldo has become a father to a baby boy, it was revealed on his Twitter account today.

The Real Madrid and Portuguese soccer star appeared to have made the announcement on both his Twitter and Facebook accounts in the early hours of this morning. The posting does not reveal who the mother of his child is, but revealed the boy will remain in the 25-year-old?s care.

"It is with great joy and emotion that I inform I have recently become father to a baby boy," the message said. "As agreed with the baby`s mother, who prefers to have her identity kept confidential, my son will be under my exclusive guardianship.

"No further information will be provided on this subject and I request everyone to fully respect my right to privacy (and that of the child) at least on issues as personal as these are."

It has been claimed the message could have been the work of a hacker and is a hoax. However, Portuguese daily newspaper Correio da Manha has reported Gestifute, the company run by Ronaldo`s agent, has confirmed the news.

It is believed the mother of the child is from north America and gave birth to the boy in early June following a brief romance with the star. Ronaldo`s family are reportedly preparing the paperwork to bring the child to Portugal where he will be raised.

Ronaldo, who has been romantically linked to Paris Hilton and Kim Kardashian in the past, recently returned home from the FIFA World Cup in South Africa after Portugal lost to Spain.
sections: Celebrities