BOCA RATON, Fla. — For two Boca Raton brothers living with muscular dystrophy, soccer is more than a game.
It’s motivation. It’s hope. And thanks to an unforgettable surprise from Cristiano Ronaldo and FIFA, it’s become a reminder that their dreams are still alive.
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Seventeen-year-old Michael Berestovsky and his 13-year-old brother Vladimir Berestovsky grew up loving the sport and idolizing Portuguese soccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo.
Even as muscular dystrophy slowly weakened their muscles and changed their lives, their passion for soccer never faded.
“Sometimes they still play despite the pain sometimes,” Michael Berestovsky said, while talking about the sport that inspires him.
That resilience is something both boys connect deeply with.
“I want to be like them more,” Michael Berestovsky said. “People like Ronaldo inspire me to try more and do more things to reach my goals.”
For Vladimir Berestovsky, Ronaldo’s work ethic became a daily source of encouragement.
“Ronaldo he inspires many people and he keeps working hard no matter what and he never gives up and it like motivates me to keep on trying every day,” Vladimir Berestovsky said.
Muscular dystrophy is a genetic disorder that causes muscles to weaken and lose mass over time. Today, the boys can no longer walk on their own. The last time Michael walked was when he was 15 years old, playing soccer while wearing a Portugal jersey. During the game, he fell and broke his leg in two places.
“It was very dark times, and we couldn’t see the hope,” their mother Anna Berestovsky said.
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But Anna Berestovsky said giving up was never an option. A lifelong Ronaldo fan herself, Anna said she first fell in love with soccer at 16 years old after her grandfather introduced her to the sport.
Over the years, she admired Ronaldo not only for his talent, but for the determination he showed both on and off the field, helping her through her own personal challenges as a teen.
That same mindset became the foundation for her family.
“We as a family decided that we should never give up. We should only move forward, we should look for new treatments, new physical treatments, things that help them from nutrition and exercises,” Anna said.
Wanting to show how much Ronaldo had helped her sons emotionally through their condition, Anna reached out to FIFA and WPTV to share their story.
What happened next became the soccer experience of a lifetime.
The family received surprise tickets from friends and family to watch Portugal and Ronaldo play in Miami during the FIFA Club World Cup festivities.
“Ronaldo was an inspiration for me to keep going to do my things right to pursue my goals, I was really amazed when my boys felt the same way,” Anna Berestovsky said. “The entire family has been Ronaldo fans.”
For Vladimir, the atmosphere inside the stadium was unforgettable.
“What was your favorite part of the games?” I asked him.
“The fans they were like very loud and like cheering and chanting and doing waves,” Vladimir Berestovsky said with a smile, adding that he joined right in with the celebrations.
“Of course I was for Portugal, I wanted them to win,” he said. “But when they lost I still kept wearing their jersey because I think Ronaldo is still a good player no matter if he has a world cup or not.”
Then came another surprise.
During the match, Ronaldo sent the boys two autographed official FIFA World Cup soccer balls.
“It’s not just a signed ball, it’s a token,” Anna Berestovsky said. “It’s a token of being seen by such an amazing star. It's a dream come true."
FIFA also gifted the family VIP tickets to the tournament’s third-place match. Today, the boys continue treatments that their family says help slow the progression of muscular dystrophy. Their hope is that one day they’ll be able to play soccer again.
Inspired by the kindness shown to them, Michael and Vladimir Berestovsky are now paying it forward by sharing their journey on Instagram so other children and families living with muscular dystrophy know they’re not alone.
“My message to Ronaldo would be thank you so much for your gift to us, it means a lot of me and my brother dealing with disability,” Michael Berestovsky said.
“We will have this moment in our hearts forever,” Anna Berestovsky said. “We haven’t felt anything similar to this in a long long time. Thank you thank you thank you Ronaldo for everything.”
Now, the brothers are already dreaming about the future — counting down the days until FIFA 2030, when they hope to watch Portugal play in Portugal.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
