Cristiano Ronaldo
Portuguese footballer Cristiano Ronaldo is often regarded as one of the best footballers to have ever played the game and his performances over the better part of a decade have only helped in reinforcing that belief among football fans. Ronaldo grew up in Madeira, Portugal but after graduating from the youth set up at Sporting CP he was immediately snapped up by English club Manchester United after his talent as a winger was spotted by their legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson. Ronaldo spent six years at Manchester United and that was where he developed his game as a skillful, quick, lethal winger who could score goals and create opportunities for his team mates. He won plenty of trophies for Manchester United and also shone for the Portugual before he moved to Real Madrid as the world’s most expensive player. At Real Madrid he has broken some of the most important goal scoring record that had stood for many years and also led the club to important trophies. Ronaldo is also the captain of the Portuguese national team and led them to victory in Euro 2016—their first-ever triumph in a major tournament. He has also won several individual awards that have further cemented his status as one of the world’s premier footballers. With over 415 million followers, Cristiano Ronaldo is the most-followed individual on Instagram.
Quick Facts
Nick Name: The Sultan Of The Stepover
Girlfriend: Georgina
Rodríguez, Irina Shayk (2010–2015)
Also Known As: Cristiano Ronaldo Dos Santos Aveiro
Age: 37 Years, 37 Year Old
Males
Family:
Father: José DinisAveiro
Mother: Maria
Dolores Dos Santos Aveiro
Siblings: Elma Aveiro, Hugo Aveiro,
LilianaCatiaAveiro
Children: Alana
Martina Dos Santos Aveiro, Cristiano
Ronaldo Jr., Eva Maria
Dos Santos, Mateo Ronaldo
Childhood & Early Life
Cristiano
Ronaldo was born on February 5, 1985, in Madeira, Portugal, to Jose DinisAveiro
and his wife Maria Dolores dos Santos Aveiro. His father was a gardener with
the municipality while his mother worked as a cook. Ronaldo was the youngest
child among four children; others being a son and two daughters.
Ronaldo
was expelled from the school after he assaulted his teacher by throwing a chair
at him. He had always been a keen footballer and by the time he was fourteen
years old he decided to concentrate on becoming a professional footballer.
Ronaldo had been playing for Androrinha since he was 8.
In 1995, Cristiano
Ronaldo joined the club ‘Nacional’ located in his home town of Madeira and
following his good show for them he joined one of the biggest clubs in
Portugal, namely, ‘Sporting CP’ after clearing a trial.
Career
During
his time at the Sporting CP Cristiano Ronaldo played for all the levels, i.e.,
under-16, under-17, under-18, B-team, and the first team before finally
graduating into the senior team in the year 2002. He scored two goals in his
league debut and announced his arrival on the big scene. His exploits for
Sporting CP brought him into prominence and some of the biggest clubs in
England like Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester United started courting him.
Cristiano
Ronaldo played in a UEFA Champions League against Manchester United, in 2003.
The manager of the English club Sir Alex Ferguson was impressed by his
performance and brought him to the club in the same year. In his first season
at Machester United, Ronaldo scored three goals in the league and also scored
in the FA Cup final to help the club win the trophy. A year after joining
Manchester United, Ronaldo scored two goals in the European Championships for
Portugal as the team ended runners up on home soil.
Cristiano
Ronaldo became one of Manchester United’s most important players during his six
year stint at the club and during that time the club became one of the most
successful clubs in Europe as it won three league titles on the trot as well as
the UEFA Champions League in 2008. Ronaldo scored 84 goals for the club in 196
league games and became one of the best players in the world.
At
the 2006 World Cup, Cristiano Ronaldo was an integral part of the Portuguese
national team as they reached the semifinal of the tournament; Ronaldo scored
one goal in the tournament. The following year he was named
the
captain of the national team but in the European Championships that followed
the next year he scored only one goal as the team crashed out in the quarter
finals.
In 2009, Cristiano
Ronaldo became the most expensive player in the world after Spanish giant Real
Madrid paid Manchester United £80 million to bring him to Madrid. He scored 33
goals in his very first season. In the following season he ended the Spanish
league season with 40 goals, which became a record in the league’s history and
helped Real Madrid win the Copa del Rey.
Cristiano
Ronaldo led Portugal at the Football World Cup in South Africa in 2010, but he
had a quiet tournament, scoring only one goal as the team was knocked out by
Spain in the round of 16. In 2012, he was the main inspiration for the team as
he scored three goals to lead the team to the semifinal of the European
Championships but Portugal was knocked out by Spain yet again in a penalty
shootout.
In
2012, Cristiano Ronaldo helped Real Madrid win the Spanish league title and it
proved to be his first league title with the club. He scored 60 goals in all
competitions in the season as Real Madrid cantered to the title with 100
points. He followed it up with a haul of 55 goals in all competitions the following
season.
The
season that started in 2013, was a particularly special one for Ronaldo as
he scored a staggering 51 goals in the season and at the same time helped Real
Madrid win their coveted 10th UEFA Champions League title. In the Champions
League, Ronaldo scored 17 goals that made him the highest scorer ever in a
single season of the tournament. He has a total of 89 goals in the tournament
overall.
In
the 2014 World Cup, Cristiano Ronaldo had a disappointing tournament as
Portugal were knocked out in the first round with him scoring only one goal. He
has scored 50 goals for Portugal in his career and that is the highest for any
Portuguese player. In the league seasons that started that year, Ronaldo was in
sublime form as he notched up 61 goals in total and also became the fastest
player to reach the 200 goal milestone in the Spanish league. He reached it in
178 games.
Awards & Achievements
Cristiano Ronaldo was
awarded the Ballon D’Or (later known as the FIFA World Player of the Year
Award) in 2008, when he was a Manchester United player.
In 2013, he won the
FIFA World Player of the Year Award and won it again the following year.
Cristiano Ronaldo
holds the record for being the highest scorer in the history of Real Madrid
with 338 goals.
Cristiano Ronaldo is
the highest ever goal scorer in the UEFA Champions League with 89 career goals
till date.
Forbes
magazine ranked him the world's highest-paid athlete in 2016, and 2017.
Personal Life & Legacy
Cristiano Ronaldo's father,
José DinisAveiro , died in September 2005, due to an alcoholism-related liver
condition. His mother, Maria Dolores dos Santos Aveiro, is a cancer survivor;
she was was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2007, but eventually recovered.
However, in February 2019, she was again diagnosed with cancer.
Cristiano Ronaldo has had six
children out of which three have been born via surrogate mothers. He first
became father on on June 17, 2010, when his son, Cristiano Jr., was
born via surrogacy. Ronaldo did not reveal the identity of his son's mother.
On June 8, 2017, he became
father to twins, daughter Eva and son Mateo, via surrogacy.
From 2010 to 2015, he was in a
relationship with Russian model Irina Shayk.
He is currently in
relationship with Spanish model, Georgina Rodríguez, and
the couple was blessed with a daughter, Alana Martina, on November 12, 2017. On
April 18, 2022, the couple was blessed with twins, a boy and a girl, however,
the boy died during childbirth.
