2. Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro, ComM, GOIH (born 5
February 1985) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays
for Spanish club Real Madrid and the Portugal national team.
He primarily plays as a forward, but has also been deployed as a
winger and serves as captain for Portugal. In 2008, he won his
first Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year awards.
Ronaldo then won the FIFA Ballon d'Or in 2013 and 2014. In
2016, he received his fourth Ballon d'Or, the most for a European
3. Ronaldo was born 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.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
Cátia.His great-grandmother Isabel da Piedade was from
Cape Verde.The family was staunchly Catholic. Ronaldo
later said that he grew up in poverty, sharing a room
4. Ronaldo became Manchester United's first-ever Portuguese player when he signed
before the 2003–04 season.His transfer fee of £12.24 million made him, at the time,
the most expensive teenager in English football history.Although he requested the
number 28, his number at Sporting, he received the number 7 shirt, which had
previously been worn by such United players as George Best, Eric Cantona, and David
Beckham.Wearing the number 7 became an extra source of motivation for
Ronaldo,who stated that his goal was to establish himself among the world's best
players within the next three years.A key element in his development during his time
in England proved to be his manager, Alex Ferguson, of whom he later said, "He's
been my father in sport, one of the most important and influential factors in my
career".
5. AheAd of the 2009–10 seAson, RonAldo joined
ReAl MAdRid foR A woRld RecoRd tRAnsfeR fee
of £80 Million (€94 Million).[143] his
contRAct, which RAn until 2015, wAs woRth
€11 Million peR yeAR And contAined A €1
billion buy-out clAuse.At leAst 80,000 fAns
Attended his pResentAtion At the sAntiAgo
beRnAbéu, suRpAssing the 25-yeAR RecoRd of
75,000 fAns who hAd welcoMed diego
MARAdonA At nApoli.since club cAptAin RAúl
AlReAdy woRe the nuMbeR 7,RonAldo Received
the nuMbeR 9 shiRt,which wAs pResented to
6. The Messi–Ronaldo rivalry is a
supposed association football rivalry between
Argentine forward Lionel Messi and Portuguese
forward Cristiano Ronaldo. Having won a
combined nine FIFA Ballon d'Or awards, both
Messi and Ronaldo are widely regarded as the
two best players of their generation, as well as
being among the best of all time in the sport.
7. The Messi–Ronaldo rivalry is a
supposed association football rivalry between
Argentine forward Lionel Messi and Portuguese
forward Cristiano Ronaldo. Having won a
combined nine FIFA Ballon d'Or awards, both
Messi and Ronaldo are widely regarded as the
two best players of their generation, as well as
being among the best of all time in the sport.
