Cristiano Ronaldo

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Not to be confused with Brazilian footballer Ronaldo.

"CR7" and "Cristiano" redirect here. For other uses, see CR7 (disambiguation) and Cristiano
(disambiguation).
This name uses Portuguese naming customs. The first or maternal family name is dos Santos and
the second or paternal family name is Aveiro.

Cristiano Ronaldo

Ronaldo playing for Portugal in 2013

Personal information

Full name

Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro

Date of birth

5 February 1985 (age 29)[1]

Place of birth

Funchal, Madeira, Portugal

Height

1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)[2]

Playing position

Forward

Club information

Current team

Real Madrid

Number

Youth career

19921995

Andorinha

19951997

Nacional

19972002

Sporting CP

Senior career*
Apps

(Gls)

25

(3)

Manchester United

196

(84)

Real Madrid

174

(194)

Years

Team

20022003

Sporting CP

20032009

2009

National team

2001

Portugal U15

(7)

20012002

Portugal U17

(5)

2003

Portugal U20

(1)

20022003

Portugal U21

10

(3)

2004

Portugal U23

(2)

2003

Portugal

116

(51)

Honours[show]

* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league

only and correct as of 16:32, 1 November 2014 (UTC).

Appearances (Goals).
National team caps and goals correct as of 22:01, 14 October 2014
(UTC)

Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro, OIH (Portuguese pronunciation: [ktinu unadu]; born 5
February 1985), known asCristiano Ronaldo, is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as
a forward for Spanish club Real Madrid and captainsthe Portugal national team.
Ronaldo became the world's most expensive player when he moved from Manchester United to Real
Madrid in 2009 in atransfer worth 80 million (94 million/$132 million). Ronaldo's contract with Real
Madrid, under the terms of which he is paid 21 million per year (after taxes), makes him the
highest-paid footballer in the world, and his buyout clause is valued at 1 billion. He is regarded by
some in the sport to be currently the best player in the world,[3][4][5][6] and one of the greatest of all
time.[7][8]
Ronaldo began his career as a youth player for Andorinha, where he played for two years, before
moving to C.D. Nacional. In 1997, he made a move to Portuguese giants Sporting CP. In 2003 he
caught the attention of Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson, who signed him for 12.2 million
(15 million). In 2004, he won his first trophy, the FA Cup.
In 2007, Ronaldo was the first player in England to win all four main PFA and FWA awards. In 2008
and 2013, he won theFIFA/Ballon d'Or award for the best footballer in the world, the first Portuguese
player to win the award twice.[9][10] He was awarded the European Golden Shoe in 2008, 2011 and
2014. In 2008, he won 3 of the 4 main PFA and FWA trophies and was named the FIFA World
Player of the Year, FIFPro Player of the Year, World Soccer Player of the Year, and the Onze
d'Or.[11][12][13] In 2007 and 2008, Ronaldo was named FWA Footballer of the Year. He was the
inaugural winner of the FIFA Pusks Award for Goal of the Year in 2009. In a 2014 UEFA poll, he
was named the greatest goalscorer to play in the UEFA Champions League.[14] With 68 goals as of
September 2014,[15] he is tied second in the competition's top scorers of all time, only trailing Ral by
three goals. He also holds the record for most goals scored in a single UEFA Champions League
season, scoring 17 goals in the 201314 season.
Ronaldo is the first top European league player to reach 40 goals in a single season in two
consecutive years, fastest Real Madrid player to reach 100 league goals, and the first player to
score against every team in a single season in La Liga.[16] He holds the record for most goals scored
in a season for Real Madrid. In January 2014, Ronaldo scored his 400th senior career goal for club
and country aged 28.[17]
Ronaldo made his international debut for Portugal in August 2003, at the age of 18. He has since
been capped over 100 timesand has participated in 6 major tournaments: three UEFA European
Championships (2004, 2008 and 2012) and three FIFA World Cups (2006, 2010 and 2014). Ronaldo
is the first Portuguese player to reach 50 international goals, making himPortugal's top goalscorer of
all time. He scored his first international goal in the opening game of Euro 2004 against Greece, and
helped Portugal reach the final. He took over captaincy in July 2008, and at Euro 2012 he led
Portugal to the semi-finals, finishing the competition as joint-top scorer in the process.
Contents
[hide]

1 Early life
2 Club career

o
o
o

2.1 Early career

2.2 Sporting CP
2.3 Manchester United
2.3.1 200304 season
2.3.2 200405 season
2.3.3 200506 season
2.3.4 200607 season
2.3.5 200708 season
2.3.6 200809 season
o 2.4 Real Madrid
2.4.1 200910 season
2.4.2 201011 season
2.4.3 201112 season
2.4.4 201213 season
2.4.5 201314 season
2.4.6 201415 season
3 International career
o 3.1 Euro 2004 and 2004 Summer Olympics
o 3.2 2006 World Cup
3.2.1 Post-World Cup
o 3.3 Euro 2008 and 2010 World Cup
o 3.4 Euro 2012
o 3.5 2014 World Cup
o 3.6 Euro 2016
4 Style of play
o 4.1 Comparisons to Lionel Messi
5 Outside football
o 5.1 Personal life
o 5.2 Philanthropy
o 5.3 Wealth
o 5.4 Sponsorships
o 5.5 Fashion
o 5.6 Media
6 Career statistics
o 6.1 Club
o 6.2 International
6.2.1 International goals
7 Honours
o 7.1 Club
o 7.2 International
o 7.3 Individual
7.3.1 Orders
o 7.4 Records
7.4.1 World
7.4.2 Europe
7.4.3 England
7.4.4 Spain
7.4.5 Portugal
7.4.6 Real Madrid
8 References

9 External links

Early life
Ronaldo was born in Santo Antnio, a neighbourhood of Funchal, Madeira, the youngest child of
Maria Dolores dos Santos Aveiro, a cook, and Jos Dinis Aveiro, a municipal gardener.[18] His
second given name "Ronaldo" was chosen after then-U.S. president Ronald Reagan, who was his
father's favourite actor. He has one older brother, Hugo, and two older sisters, Elma and Liliana
Ctia.[1] His great-grandmother Isabel da Piedade was from Cape Verde.[19]
The family was staunchly Catholic and Ronaldo later claimed that he lived in poverty, sharing a room
with his brother and sisters.[20] Ronaldo was popular with other students at school, but he was
expelled after he threw a chair at his teacher. Ronaldo later said of the incident: "He disrespected
me".[21] At the age of 14, Ronaldo agreed with his mother to then focus entirely on football.[21]

Club career
Early 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.[22]

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 under-16,
under-17, under-18, B-team, and the first team, all within one season.[23] He scored two goals in his
league debut on 7 October 2002, which Sporting CP won 30 against Moreirense, while featuring for
Portugal in the 2002 European Under-17 Championship.[24]
At the age of 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.[25] 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.[26]
In November 2002, Ronaldo was invited to Arsenal's training ground, London Colney to meet
manager Arsne Wenger and his coaching staff.[27] Wenger, who was interested in signing the
midfielder, had arranged to meet Ronaldo's representatives, Formation (who suggested the player
originally to Grard Houllier, then Liverpool's manager and Joan Laporta, then Barcelona's
president) in the subsequent months to discuss a transfer arrangement.[28][29] Of a possible move to
Liverpool, he said "Liverpool are one of the best clubs in England and it would be a dream for any
player to represent a club of such traditions".[30]
However he came to the attention of Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson in the summer of
2003, when Sporting defeated United 31 in the inauguration of the Estdio Jos Alvalade in Lisbon.
Ronaldo's performance impressed the Manchester United players, who urged Ferguson to sign
him.[31] In April 2013, Sporting honoured Ronaldo by selecting him to become the 100,000th member
of the club.[32]

Manchester United
200304 season
There have been a few players described as the new George Best over the years, but this is the first time it's been a
compliment to me.

Former Manchester United player George Best on the 18 year old Ronaldo.[33]

Ronaldo became Manchester United's first-ever Portuguese player when he signed for 12.24
million before the200304 season.[34] He was given the number 7 shirt by United manager Alex
Ferguson,[35] who said that after a friendly with Sporting, United's players "talked about him
constantly, and on the plane back from the game they urged me to sign him" and that "he is one of
the most exciting young players I've ever seen".[36][37] Ronaldo later revealed that he had 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 United legends such as
George Best, Bryan Robson, Eric Cantona and David Beckham.[38] "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".[38]
I want to be one of the best players around in two or three years' time. I would be very proud if, one day, I'm held in
the same esteem as George Best or David Beckham

Cristiano Ronaldo in 2004.[39]

Ronaldo made his team debut as a 60th-minute substitute in a 40 home victory over Bolton
Wanderers,[40] and produced a performance hailed by Alex Ferguson as "marvellous".[41][42] His early
form earned high praise from United legend George Best, who said that Ronaldo was
"special",[33] while former manager Ron Atkinson effused about his "his pace and quick thinking" and
how it meant United could "spring very quickly from defence into attack".[43]
He scored his first goal for Manchester United with a free kick in a 30 win over Portsmouth on 1
November 2003.[44] His only other league goals in the season all came in 2004; he scored the second
in a 30 win against Tottenham Hotspur on 20 March,[45] the equalising goal in a 21 victory away
to Birmingham City on 10 April,[46] and the opener in a 20 victory over Aston Villa on the final day of
the season in a game in which he also received his first red card.[47] Ronaldo also scored in the fifth
round of the 200304 FA Cup in a 42 Manchester derby against Manchester City.[48] Ronaldo ended
his first season in English football by scoring the opening goal in United's 30 FA Cup Final victory
over Millwall,[49] with his performance receiving praise from Gary Neville who said "I think Ronaldo
can be one of the top footballers in the world".[50]