It was disbelief at first. Surely, he could not have heard what he thought he had. ‘Who?’ he asked politely.

“Then his eyes lit up,” John Moreira recalled of the moment his son realized he really was talking to Cristiano Ronaldo, the soccer player who graced the posters on his bedroom wall. “He just said ‘Oh my God.’ He looked like the happiest kid in the world.”

It’s often the way Brandon Moreira looked, though it would have been tough for anyone else in his situation. Moreira was a healthy, athletic teenager who had just helped his soccer team win the national championship when he received the shocking news from his doctor that he had bone cancer.

He battled the disease for two and a half years, undergoing surgeries and chemotherapy treatments. However, the cancer spread and Friday morning, the 17-year-old Milton resident lost his fight.

“He had every right in the world to complain about the hand he was dealt,” said Bishop Reding vice-principal and soccer coach Adrian Flynn. “But he was always positive and upbeat. He was one of the most thoughtful and inspirational people I’ve met. He was always worried about everyone else.”

That’s why when one of the best soccer players in the world took the time to call Brandon, he was truly overwhelmed. Meeting the Manchester United star was one of the things Brandon included on his ‘bucket list’ — the things he wanted to do in his life, inspired by the movie of the same name.

John Moreira, who operates a soccer academy, used his contacts in the sport to arrange the call. Ronaldo called two weeks ago, telling Brandon to be strong. He sent Brandon his jersey from the next day’s game and kept in contact, sending him a few text messages over the next week.

Brandon was buried Tuesday in Oakville wearing Ronaldo’s jersey. Over the weekend, approximately 900 people attended the two visitations. It was one small measure of the impact he had on the lives of others.

Craig Forrest, one of Canada’s best soccer players, accompanied Brandon on several trips to the hospital. Brandon hoped to one day follow in the footsteps of the former national team goalkeeper and play for his country and play professionally.

Brandon was a promising player who Brandon was a promising player who helped Erin Mills win the Under-14 Canadian championship in 2005, scoring a goal in the first game of the tournament. Though his diagnosis, which came just months after that triumph, would keep him off the field, he stayed involved in the sport.

Earlier this year, just days after discovering the cancer had returned and spread to his hips, ribs and lungs, he insisted on accompanying former teammate Marcel DeBellis to Portugal to show his support for his friend, who was taking the first step toward a pro career with one of the country’s top teams.

At Bishop Reding, Brandon joined Flynn and Fernando Costa as part of the coaching staff that would guide the Royals to the OFSAA tournament in June. Though Flynn knew Brandon would have preferred to be playing, he never let it show.

“He loved being part of the team,” Flynn said. “He was mature beyond his years and you could tell he had such a good understanding of the game. When you asked him his thoughts, he gave you insight into the game. Soccer was something he really had a passion for.”

Flynn said Brandon was a role model whose presence was inspirational for the team, teaching them “to keep their chin up and fight.”

John Moreira said his son left a wish list behind in his journal.

“He asked me to forgive everyone who stepped on my toes,” he said.

Brandon also said he wants life to go on after he is gone.

It will, but for those whose lives Brandon Moreira touched, it will be hard to forget him.