Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo was born to Maria Dolores dos Santos Aveiro and Jose Dinis Aveiro in Santo Antonio, Madeira, Portugal. His mother was a cook, and his father was a municipal gardener.

Ronaldo played for Andorinha at the age of eight. Ronaldo’s father was the kit man for the team. Cristiano Ronaldo started to play football as a result of his father’s influence. His great talent was evident from a very young age.

As Ronaldo’s talent began to be seen by people beyond his father, he struck a deal with local club Nacional. While at Nacional, his coach saw his great talent and committed himself to train Ronaldo to be a great football player. The intense training that he received at Nacional positioned him for greatness.

After a great run at Nacional, Cristiano Ronaldo got the opportunity of a three-day trial with Sporting CP. The team later decided to sign the young football player. The scouter that discovered Ronald suggested to the youth coach that he should sign Ronaldo. He played for the club’s youth teams from 1997 to 2001. 

Ronaldo was the only player to have ever, in one single season, played for Sporting’s under-16, under-17 and under-18 teams, the B team, and the first team. On October 7, 2002, Ronaldo made his big debut in the Primeira Liga. Sporting was up against Moreirense. Cristiano Ronaldo scored two goals for Sporting as the match concluded in a 3-0 win. 

Ronaldo was transferred to Manchester United for £12.24 million. The transfer came out of a pre-season friendly between Manchester United and Sporting Lisbon. Sporting Lisbon defeated Manchester United 3-1. Alex Ferguson, as well as players such as Patrice Evra and Rio Ferdinand, were impressed by Cristiano’s skills.

The Portuguese rising star made his debut in the Premier League on August 16, 2003. His debut was praised by George Best as the most exciting debut that he had ever witnessed. Manchester United defeated Bolton Wanderers 4-0.

On August 20, 2003, Ronaldo made his first senior appearance for his home country in a 1-0 win over Kazakhstan. This led to him being called up for UEFA Euro 2004. He scored his first international goal in a 2-1 group stage loss to Greece.

While the football player was 20 years old his father, Jose died because of a liver condition. The liver condition was caused by his father’s alcoholism. Ronaldo father was 52 years old when he died in September 2005.

After becoming 22 years old, the young football star captained Portugal for the first time in a friendly match against Brazil. The match was played on February 6, 2007. The baller was given the number 7 shirt for the first time just before Euro 2008.

Cristiano Ronaldo released his autobiography, “Moments” on October 5, 2007. The book covers the life of the legendary football star.

After accomplishing so much at Manchester United, Ronaldo felt it was time to move on to a new team. During this time Manchester United accepted an offer from Real Madrid of £80 million. On July 6, Cristiano Ronaldo was presented to the world as a new player of Real Madrid. Ronaldo made his debut in La Liga on August 29, 2009. 

Leading up to the World Cup, Cristiano Ronaldo became the fourth football player to be represented as a waxwork. Other football players that have been represented as a waxwork are Steven Gerrard, Pele, and David Beckham. There was another waxwork done of the footballer. This was presented at the Madrid Wax Museum in 2013. 

Ronaldo welcomed his son Cristiano Jr. into the world on June 17, 2010, in the United States of America. He maintains full custody of the child. He has also made it clear that he will not be publicly revealing the identity of the mother.

While at Real Madrid, the footballer enjoyed more success than he did in the Premier League. Ronaldo was instrumental in the team winning their first La Liga title in four years. He gained his 100th league goal for Madrid over 92 matches.

Museu CR7 was opened in December 2013 in Ronaldo’s hometown of Funchal, Madeira. This was established to house his trophies and other memorabilia of the footballer’s life and career. The museum sponsors the local football team União da Madeira.

Ronaldo’s two goals against Cameroon in an international match on March 5, 2014, made the footballer eligible for the title of Portugal’s all-time top scorer.

Ronaldo donated £5 million to the relief effort in Nepal. The funds were sent to help after a major earthquake in Nepal. The earthquake killed over 8,000 people and left many without shelter.

Ronaldo made an official announcement in January 2015 that he and Irina Shayk have ended their five-year relationship. Irina Shayk is a Russian model.

The footballer scored two goals in an away match against Bayern Munich in the 2016-2017 UEFA Champions League quarter-final. These two goals led Ronaldo to be recorded in history as the first player to score 100 goals in UEFA Club Competition.

Ronaldo signed a four-year contract with Juventus. The cost of the transfer was €100 million. There was an additional €12 million paid in fees and solidarity contributions to Ronaldo’s youth clubs. Cristiano Ronaldo’s transfer to Juventus is the highest-paid by an Italian club for a player over the age of 30.

On July 26, 2019, Ronaldo won his first trophy with Juventus. The trophy was from the 2018 Supercoppa Italiana. The footballer scored the game-winning goal from a header against A.C. Milan. It was the only goal of the match.

Ronaldo is followed by 200 million people on Instagram. This makes the footballer the most followed athlete on social media.