Cristiano Ronaldo welcomes twin boys into the world

Cristiano Ronaldo has confirmed he's become a father to twin boys.

The 32-year-old Portuguese soccer ace announced the news in a Facebook post, in which he also revealed he will be stepping away from the Confederations Cup earlier than planned after the arrival of his sons so he can spend more time with them.

After Portugal failed to beat Chile in the semi-finals of the tournament, he wrote: "I was in the service of the national team, as always, body and soul, even though my two sons were born.
"Unfortunately, we have not been able to achieve the main sporting objective that we wanted, but I am sure we will continue to give joy to the Portuguese.

"The President of the Portuguese Football Federation and the national picker have today had an attitude that has touched me and I will not forget.
"I'm very happy to finally be with my children for the first time."

The twins are believed to have been born via a surrogate mother in the US.
The Real Madrid star already has a seven-year-old son called Cristiano Ronaldo Jr, whose mother has never been identified.
Meanwhile, the Portuguese Football Federation also released a statement confirming Ronaldo's early departure from the cup to focus on his family.

It read: "The President of the FPF and the National Team were informed before the Confederations Cup by the National Team captain, Cristiano Ronaldo, that he had been a father.
"The athlete, despite the birth of his children, made a point of being in the service of the National Team, in a gesture that we must underline and praise.

"The President of the FPF and the National Selector understand that if it is impossible to reach the goal of winning the Confederations Cup, they must release the athlete so that he can finally get to know his children."