Alina Hoberg, FIFA's Human Rights and Sustainability Coordinator, was carrying out her usual ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) checks during a Colombia v Portugal match in Miami, Florida at the FIFA World Cup 2026™, when she moved through the accessible seating sections to ask fans whether they needed mobility assistance. It was there that she met a family of four, including two young brothers, Michael and Vladimir, who live with muscular dystrophy, and whose day at the stadium was about to take an unexpected turn. “They approached me and they told me that they had the best time of their lives because this was the first match that they saw [Cristiano] Ronaldo play in live,” Ms Hoberg recalled. “And so even in the conversation with them, I thought they were special. The boys were smiling. They were happy that they were there. They honestly had the best time of their lives, and they told me. And so when they gave me the letter, I knew I had to do something about it, and I couldn't let them down.” For Anna Berestovsky, the boys' mother, the connection to Ronaldo runs back decades. “We saw Cristiano Ronaldo play (on television), when I was 15, for the first time, and since then I watched every championship, European, and of course, FIFA,” she said.

Her son has followed the forward's career since early childhood. “My little boy, Vladimir, he grew up being a fan of Cristiano Ronaldo since he was five [years old]. He used to play soccer every day after he came back from school until he was [not] able to walk. And even after he was not able to walk anymore, he still [kept] wearing his Ronaldo jersey to the school.” The family had endured a difficult year, with the boys undergoing leg surgery shortly before the tournament began. In the hope of making something special happen for her sons, Anna had written a letter recounting the family's story and sent it to television channels and organisations in the lead-up to the competition, without success. “Since it was really during the championship, it was kind of late to organise some big events, that's what I was told,” she said.

Undeterred, the family secured tickets to the Portugal match with the help of relatives and friends. It was there, almost by chance, that a second letter reached the right hands. “My husband happened to have a letter in [his] backpack,” she explained. “It was accidental; it was not planned... He's like: ‘Honey, why don't I give it to someone? Why don't I give it to a FIFA rep? Some journalist. Maybe, we could get a little bit closer to the boys' dream, maybe we can do something extra.’ With no pen to hand, the family improvised: “I had a mascara and he wrote my phone number with the mascara.” Several people were offered the letter that day. Ms Hoberg accepted it. “I can't promise anything, but I'm going to try my best,” she told the family, before taking the letter to the FIFA office the following day. Working with a colleague, she traced a path through Team Services to reach Portugal's base camp, ensuring the letter found its way to the squad.

Believing the gesture deserved something more, the pair arranged for two footballs to be shipped to Toronto, Canada where Ronaldo signed them after Portugal's 2-1 win over Croatia in the round of 32. The balls were then sent back to Miami.

“In a few days, she sent me a text message, and when I saw this text message, I [was] stunned,” Anna said. “Honestly, I started to cry. I called her, and she said that there is a chance that the dream that we all were hoping for could become true.”

FIFA invited the family back for the England’s 6-4 bronze medal match win over France, unaware that the signed footballs awaited them there. For Ms Hoberg, the memory of that first encounter has stayed with her. “So the mum actually told me they had a letter written for him, and they handed it to me and told me I was their best shot at getting it to him,” she said. “And I said I can't promise anything, but I'm going to try my best, and obviously I couldn't say no.” The experience has left a lasting impression on the whole family, who launched an Instagram channel the same day, with footage from the reveal set to be their first post. “This whole thing is really inspirational,” Anna said. “They wanted to try to be maybe famous bloggers one day. Just inspire other families, other kids, that dreaming is great, but in order for your dreams to become a reality, you need to do things for that. You need to work hard every day, but keep dreaming. This is very important.”