Cristiano Ronaldo

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Personal

Professional

Club

Real Madrid

Manchester United

Sporting CP

Portugal

Awards

Manchester United
Premier League (3): 2006–07, 2007–08, 2008–09
FA Cup (1): 2003–04
Football League Cup (2): 2005–06, 2008–09
FA Community Shield (1): 2007
UEFA Champions League (1): 2007–08
FIFA Club World Cup (1): 2008

Individual
Bravo Award (1): 2004
FIFPro Special Young Player of the Year (2): 2004, 2005
Portuguese Footballer of the Year (3): 2006–07, 2007–08, 2008–09
UEFA Team of the Year (4): 2003–04, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2008–09
Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year (3): 2003-04, 2006–07, 2007–08
FIFPro World XI (3): 2006–07, 2007–08, 2008–09
Best Portuguese Footballer in Foreign Countries (3): 2006-07, 2007-08, 2008-09
PFA Young Player of the Year (1): 2006–07
PFA Players’ Player of the Year (2): 2006–07, 2007-08
PFA Fans’ Player of the Year (2): 2006–07, 2007–08
PFA Premier League Team of the Year (4): 2005–06, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2008–09
FWA Footballer of the Year (2): 2006–07, 2007–08
Barclays Player of the Season (2): 2006–07, 2007–08
Premier League Player of the Month (4): November 2006, December 2006, January 2008, March 2008
Premier League Golden Boot (1): 2007–08
Barclays Merit Award (1): 2007–08
UEFA Champions League Topscorer (1): 2007-08
European Golden Shoe (1): 2007–08
UEFA Club Forward of the Year (1): 2007–08
UEFA Club Footballer of the Year (1): 2007–08
FIFPro World Player of the Year (1): 2007–08
FIFA Club World Cup Silver Ball (1): 2008
Ballon d’Or (1): 2008
FIFA World Player of the Year (1): 2008
Onze d’Or (1): 2008
World Soccer Player of the Year (1): 2008
FIFA Ferenc Puskás Award (1): 2009

Orders
Officer of the Order of Infante Dom Henrique
Medal of Merit, Order of the Immaculate Conception of Vila Viçosa (House of Braganza)[103]

Biography

Early life

Ronaldo was born on 5 February 1985 in Santo António, a neighbourhood of Funchal, Madeira, the youngest child of Maria Dolores dos Santos Aveiro, a cook, and José Dinis Aveiro, a municipal gardener.[7] His second given name, “Ronaldo”, was chosen after then-U.S. president Ronald Reagan, who was his father’s favourite actor.[8] He has one older brother, Hugo, and two older sisters, Elma and Liliana Cátia.[2]

Club career

At the age of eight, Ronaldo played for amateur team Andorinha, where his father was the kit man. In 1995, Ronaldo signed with local club Nacional, and, after a title-winning campaign, he went on a three-day trial with Sporting CP, who subsequently signed him for an undisclosed sum.[9]

Sporting CP

Ronaldo joined Sporting’s other youth players who trained at the Academia Sporting, the club’s football academy, in Alcochete. He became the only player ever to play for Sporting’s U-16, U-17, U-18, B-team, and first team, all within one season.[10] He scored two goals in his Sporting debut against Moreirense, while featuring for Portugal in the 2002 European Under-17 Championship.[11]

When he was 15, Ronaldo was diagnosed with a racing heart, a condition that might have forced him to give up playing football. The Sporting staff were made aware of the condition and Ronaldo’s mother gave her authorisation for him to go into hospital. While there, he had an operation in which a laser was used to cauterise the area of his heart that was causing the problem. The surgery took place in the morning and Ronaldo was discharged from hospital by the end of the afternoon; he resumed training only a few days later.[12]

He was first spotted by then-Liverpool manager Gérard Houllier at the age of 16, but Liverpool declined to take him on because they decided he was too young and needed some time to develop his skills.[13] However, he came to the attention of Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson in the summer of 2003, when Sporting defeated United 3–1 in the inauguration of the Estádio José Alvalade in Lisbon. Ronaldo’s performance impressed the Manchester United players, who urged Ferguson to sign him.[14]

Manchester United

Ronaldo became Manchester United’s first-ever Portuguese player when he signed for €15 million[15] (£12.24 million) after the 2002–03 season. He requested the number 28 (his number at Sporting), as he did not want the pressure of living up to the expectation linked to the number 7 shirt, which had previously been worn by players such as George Best, Bryan Robson, Eric Cantona, and David Beckham. “After I joined, the manager asked me what number I’d like. I said 28. But Ferguson said ‘No, you’re going to have No. 7,’ and the famous shirt was an extra source of motivation. I was forced to live up to such an honour.”

Ronaldo made his team debut as a 60th-minute substitute in a 4–0 home victory over Bolton Wanderers. He scored his first goal for Manchester United with a free kick in a 3–0 win over Portsmouth on 1 November 2003. Ronaldo ended his first season in English football by scoring the opening goal in United’s 3-0 FA Cup final victory over Millwall.

He scored United’s 1000th Premier League goal on 29 October 2005 in a 4–1 loss to Middlesbrough. He scored ten goals in all competitions, and fans voted him to his first FIFPro Special Young Player of the Year award in 2005.

On 11 June, Manchester United accepted an unconditional offer of £80 million from Real Madrid for Ronaldo after it was revealed that he again had expressed his desire to leave the club.[55] It was confirmed by a representative of the Glazer family that the sale was fully condoned by Ferguson.[56] When Ronaldo had eventually completed his transfer to Real, he expressed his gratitude towards Ferguson for helping him develop as a player, saying, “He’s been my father in sport, one of the most important factors and most influential in my career.”[57]

Real Madrid

Ronaldo and Real Madrid against Diego Forlán and city rivals Atlético Madrid.

On 26 June 2009, Real Madrid confirmed that Ronaldo would join the club on 1 July 2009 from Manchester United for £80 million, after agreeing terms and signing a six-year contract. Ronaldo’s contract is worth €11 million per year and it has a €1 billion buy-out clause. He was presented to the world media as a Real Madrid player on 6 July, where he was handed the number 9 jersey. The shirt was presented to him by Madrid legend Alfredo di Stéfano. Ronaldo was welcomed by 80,000 fans at his presentation at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, surpassing Diego Maradona’s record of 75,000 fans when he was presented in Italy, after he was transferred from Barcelona to Napoli in 1984.

Ronaldo made his Madrid debut on 21 July in a 1–0 win over Shamrock Rovers. His first goal came one week later with a penalty in Madrid’s 4–2 LDU Quito. On 29 August, Ronaldo capped his La Liga debut with a goal, scoring Real’s second from the penalty spot in a 3–2 home win against Deportivo La Coruña. On 15 September, Ronaldo scored his first Champions League goals for Real, both from free kicks, against Zürich in a 5–2 win. He broke a Madrid club record when he scored in a league match against Villarreal and thus became the first ever player to score in his first four La Liga appearances.

An ankle injury suffered on 10 October, while Ronaldo was on international duty with Portugal against Hungary, kept him out until 25 November, which in turn caused him to miss both of Madrid’s Champions League group stage matches against Milan. Ronaldo made his first post-injury start in a 1–0 El Clásico defeat to Barcelona on 29 November. On 6 December, he was sent off for the first time in his Madrid career in Madrid’s 4–2 victory against Almería, a match which also saw him miss a penalty. He was carded first for removing his shirt during a goal celebration, then for kicking out at an opponent three minutes later.

With the departure of Raúl in the summer of 2010, Ronaldo was handed the number 7 jersey.

On 23 October 2010, Ronaldo scored four goals against Racing Santander, the most goals he has ever scored in a single match. It completed a goalscoring run of six consecutive matches (3 La Liga, 1 Champions League, 2 international) in which Ronaldo scored in each match, totaling eleven goals which is the most Ronaldo has scored in a single month.

Videos

Interesting Facts

• Became the most expensive teenager in Britain in 2003.
• His idol is Luis Figo.
• His father named him after former American President Ronald Reagan.
• He was the first ever Portugese Manchester United player.
• Has been criticized many times for diving in the penalty area.
• His father passed away while he was on international duty in Russia.
• In the first ever FIFPro awards was voted the special young player of the year award.
• Flew to Indonesia to visit the areas affected by the tsunami and raised over 1 billion rupiah by auctioning off his personal sports gear.
• Cristiano was first spotted by former Liverpool F.C manager ‘Gerard Houllier’ at the age of 16.
• Is of Moroccon descent.
• On 3rd July 2010 he declared that he had become a father to a baby boy, naming his son after himself. Mother is an unknown American woman.

Personal Quotes

I would be very proud if, one day, I’m held in the same esteem as George Best or Beckham. It’s what I’m working hard towards.

Lots of young players have triumphed at United, so why can’t it happen to me? I’m not worried I’m young – it’s an incentive to do the best I can.

The No 7 shirt is an honor and a responsibility. I hope it brings me a lot of luck.

There is no harm in dreaming of becoming the world’s best player. It is all about trying to be the best. I will keep working hard to achieve it but it is within my capabilities.

I’ve never tried to hide the fact that it is my intention to be the best.

Maybe they hate me because I’m too good!

Sources

wikipedia.org

imdb.com

cristiano-ronaldo.org