Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro - A Detailed Overview
Early Life
Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro was born on February 5, 1985, in Funchal, Madeira, Portugal, a small island off the western coast of the country. Ronaldo was the youngest of four children born to Maria Dolores dos Santos and Jose Dinis Aveiro and named after Ronald Reagan, a favourite actor of his father's. He was raised in a largely working-class neighbourhood, his home a small tin-roofed shack. His early life was shaped by hardship, as his father often drank too much. To help keep the children fed, and maintain some financial stability, Ronaldo's mother worked as a cook and cleaning person.
Club Career
Sporting CP
Ronaldo first started playing football for Andorinha, a local team where his dad was the kit man. His obvious talent caught the attention of one of Portugal's biggest clubs, Sporting CP, who signed him up for their academy. Ronaldo travelled down to Lisbon to join up with the club when he was just 12 years-old.
Manchester United
Ronaldo's performances at Sporting CP reportedly brought him to the attention of Liverpool and Arsenal, but it was Manchester United who moved in and signed the attacker after he impressed against them in a pre-season friendly in 2003. He was signed by Sir Alex Ferguson for £12.24 million, making him, at the time, the most expensive teenager in English football history. He stayed with Manchester United until 2009 becoming one of the club's legends and scored a total of 118 goals in 292 appearances.
Real Madrid
In 2009, after impressive performances and numerous titles with Manchester United, Ronaldo joined Real Madrid with a world-record transfer fee of £80 million (€94 million). He quickly showed his worth and his top scoring abilities. In nine seasons with the club, Ronaldo scored 450 goals in 438 appearances.
Juventus
In 2018, Ronaldo decided to take on a new challenge, moving to Juventus for 100 million euros. Breaking records as the most expensive transfer in the Italian club's history and the highest ever paid for a player over 30 years old. He has continued to show his value in the Italian Serie A, helping the team to numerous league titles.
Manchester United Return
After three seasons with Juventus, it was announced in August 2021, that Ronaldo would be returning to Manchester United. The transfer deal has been seen as a homecoming for Ronaldo and given rise to much anticipation among fans and players alike.
International Career
Ronaldo made his debut for Portugal in August 2003 against Kazakhstan. He was the highest goalscorer in the qualification for the 2004 Euros and was named in the team of the tournament despite Portugal losing in the final. Ronaldo took over full captaincy in July 2008, leading Portugal to the semi-finals at Euro 2012 and the final at Euro 2016. Despite Portugal finishing third at the 2019 Nations League, Ronaldo was top scorer in the finals. He holds the record for the most goals scored in European Championship matches and is the second-highest goalscorer for Portugal in World Cups.
Personal Life
Off the field, Ronaldo became father to a son, Cristiano Jr. (born in 2010) and later to twins, Eva and Mateo (born 2017) and a daughter, Alana Martina (born in 2017). Ronaldo has never publicly revealed the identity of his first child's mother, but he has full custody. The twins were born when the surrogate was based in California. His daughter is his first child with girlfriend Georgina Rodriguez, whom he has been with since 2016. Ronaldo was also often seen in campaigns about poverty and childhood hunger. He has made large contributions to various charitable causes throughout his career.
Achievements
In his illustrious career, Ronaldo has won numerous awards. These include 5-time Ballon d'Or winner, 4-time European Golden Shoe winner, 5-time UEFA Champions League winner, 4-time UEFA European Championship winner among many others. He holds numerous records, such as the most goals scored for a single club in Europe's top 5 leagues (450 goals for Real Madrid) and the most goals scored in the UEFA Champions League (135 goals). He is also the first player to reach 100 goals for a single club in the UEFA Champions League and the first to score 100 goals for a single club in Europe's top 5 leagues. In addition, he has records for the most goals scored in a UEFA Champions League season (17 goals in 2013–14) and the fastest to score 300 goals in Europe's top five leagues (286 games).
