Childhood & Early Life
Cristiano Ronaldo was born on February 5, 1985, in Madeira, Portugal, to Jose Dinis Aveiro 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; the other 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 hometown 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.
Quotes: Never, Living, I
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Career
During his time at 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 Manchester 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 which 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 was 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.
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He captained Portugal in their 2016 Euro Cup campaign and led them to victory. In the final against France, he got injured and was stretchered off the pitch after just 25 minutes but ultimately Portugal went on to win the match. Ronaldo was awarded the Silver Boot as he was the joint second-highest goalscorer in the tournament.
In the 2018 World Cup, Cristiano Ronaldo became the oldest player ever to score a hat-trick in a World Cup match. He scored a hat-trick against Spain. Portugal progressed to the last 16 and was eliminated following a 2–1 defeat to Uruguay. Nevertheless, he earned his name in the World Cup Dream Team for his performance during the tournament.
After the World Cup, Cristiano Ronaldo made his first appearance in the 2019 UEFA Nations League Finals where he scored a hat-trick against Switzerland in the semi-finals. In September 2019, during the Euro 2020 qualifying match, he delivered 4 goals against Lithuania, resulting in a 5–1 for Portugal. He also set the record for most goals in the European Qualifiers. In October, he scored his 700th senior career goal against Ukraine in a 2–1 loss in a Euro 2020 qualifier.
In November 2019, he went on to score his 99th international goal against Luxembourg in a 2-0 win which advanced Portugal to the UEFA Euro 2020. He went on to score his 100th and 101st international goals in a 2020–21 UEFA Nations League match against Sweden.
In June 2021, he gave 2 goals against Hungary in the first game of Euro 2020, bringing his total to 11 European Championship goals. He went on to score 2 penalty shots against France in a 2-2 draw. Portugal later suffered a defeat against Belgium and was eliminated from the tournament. Cristiano Ronaldo won the Golden Boot for his performance in the competition.
In September 2021 in a World Cup qualifier, Cristiano Ronaldo delivered 2 goals against the Republic of Ireland in a 2–1 win. In October, he scored an opening goal in a 3-0 win against Qatar. With his 181st international appearance, he set the record for the most international caps received by a European player. Later, he contributed 3 goals against Luxembourg in a 5-0 win.
Expectedly, he was named in Portugal's squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. In November, he delivered a penalty goal against Ghana. However, he was substituted against South Korea in the last group game. He was later dropped from the opening line-up but later returned to the field as Portugal registered their 6–1 win record. However, Portugal later lost to Morocco in a 1-0 match and the latter advanced to the World Cup semi-finals.
Post-World Cup, he was named in Portugal’s squad for the UEFA Euro 2024 qualifiers against Liechtenstein and Luxembourg. Later, in the match against Liechtenstein, Portugal took home victory in a 4-0 win.
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Personal Life & Legacy
Cristiano Ronaldo's father, José Dinis Aveiro, died in September 2005, due to an alcoholism-related liver condition.
His mother, Maria Dolores dos Santos Aveiro, is a cancer survivor; she wasdiagnosed 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 a father 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 a 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.
In early 2023, he, along with his girlfriend and children, moved to Saudi Arabia after being signed by the Saudi Arabian club, Al Nassr FC. While it is illegal for unmarried couples to live together in Saudi Arabia, the administration made an exception for Cristiano Ronaldo.
