Cristiano Ronaldo: Portuguese footballer (born 1985)

He is the captain of the Portuguese national team, and he is currently playing at Saudi Arabian football club Al Nassr.

Cristiano Ronaldo

Ronaldo with Al Nassr in 2023
Personal information
Full name	Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro
Date of birth	(1985-02-05) 5 February 1985 (age 39)
Place of birth	Funchal, Madeira, Portugal
Height	1.87 m (6 ft 2 in)
Position(s)	Forward
Club information
Current team	Al Nassr
Number	7
Youth career
1992–1995	Andorinha
1995–1997	Nacional
1997–2002	Sporting CP
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2002–2003	Sporting CP B	2	(0)
2002–2003	Sporting CP	25	(3)
2003–2009	Manchester United	196	(84)
2009–2018	Real Madrid	292	(311)
2018–2021	Juventus	98	(81)
2021–2022	Manchester United	40	(19)
2023–	Al Nassr	41	(43)
National team‡
2001	Portugal U15	9	(7)
2001–2002	Portugal U17	7	(5)
2003	Portugal U20	5	(1)
2002–2003	Portugal U21	10	(3)
2004	Portugal U23	3	(2)
2003–	Portugal	206	(128)
Honours Men's football Representing  Portugal UEFA European Championship Winner 2016 France Runner-up 2004 Portugal 2012 Poland-Ukraine UEFA Nations League Winner 2019 Portugal FIFA Confederations Cup 2017 Russia
Signature
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 23:00, 5 April 2024 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 21:00, 26 March 2024 (UTC)

He is considered to be one of the greatest footballers of all time.

Ronaldo began his professional career with Sporting CP at age 17 in 2002 and signed for Manchester United a year later. He won three back-to-back Premier League titles in 2006-07, 2007-08, and 2008-09. In 2007-08, Ronaldo helped United win the UEFA Champions League. In 2008-09, he won his first World Cup in December 2008 and his first Ballon d'Or. At one point Ronaldo was the most expensive professional footballer of all time, after moving from Manchester United to Real Madrid for approximately £80 m in July 2009. In 2009, Ronaldo was included in the "World Player of the Decade 2000s", ranking third behind Lionel Messi (who came second) and Ronaldinho (who came first).

He won his first trophy with Real Madrid in 2011, the 2010-11 Copa del Rey. In the next season, he won the club's first La Liga title, the 2011-12 La Liga. In the 2012-13 season, he won the Supercopa de España. In the next season, the 2013-14 season, he won his second Ballon d'Or. Then he won the Copa del Rey, and he also won his second Champions League with a record 17 goals. The following year, Ronaldo won the Ballon d'Or again, along with his second FIFA Club World Cup in December 2014. In 2016, Ronaldo won his third Champions League, and scored the winning penalty in the final against Atlético Madrid. He won his fourth Ballon d'Or the next season, his second La Liga title for the first time in five years, another Champions League, and his second Club World Cup. Ronaldo's last season with Real Madrid was the 2017-18 season, where he won his fifth Ballon d'Or in 2017, and also won his fifth Champions League and scored two goals in the final against Juventus. With his third consecutive Champions League, he became the first player to win the UEFA Champions League five times. He would later go on to transfer to Juventus in July 2018. Ronaldo left the club holding the record for being the top goal scorer in Real Madrid's history and remaining the only player in La Liga's history to score 30 or more goals in six consecutive seasons.

Ronaldo began his career with Portugal at age 18. He scored his first goal at UEFA Euro 2004 and helped Portugal reach the final, although they lost to Greece 1-0. The first World Cup he played at was the 2006 FIFA World Cup. He scored a goal and helped Portugal earn fourth place. Two years later, he became Portugal's full captain. Since then, he has appeared at four Euro's: 2008, 2012, 2016, and 2020. He has also appeared at three World Cups: 2014, 2018, and 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro was born in Funchal, Madeira Islands in early 1985 to Maria Dolores dos Santos and José Dinis Aveiro. He has one brother named Hugo, and two sisters named Katia and Elma. Ronaldo was diagnosed with a racing heart (Tachycardia) at age 15 in 2000. In 1997, 12-year-old Ronaldo went on a trial with Sporting CP. He impressed the club enough to be signed for £1,500. He then moved from Funchal to Lisbon, to join the Sporting youth academy. In 1999, at age 14 he was expelled from school for throwing a chair at his teacher.

Growing up, Ronaldo idolized the Brazilian legends Ronaldinho and Ronaldo Nazário, and has described them as leaving "a beautiful history in football".

Sporting CP

Ronaldo played his first professional match against Inter Milan on 14 August 2002. He came in as a sub during the second half. On 7th October 2002, Ronaldo played a role in his first game in the Portuguese Primeira Liga, against Moreirense. He scored two goals, and Sporting won 3–0. Ronaldo came to the attention of Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson in August 2003, when Sporting defeated United 3–1 in the first game ever played at the Estádio José Alvalade in Lisbon. His performance impressed the United players.

Manchester United

On 12 August 2003, Ronaldo joined Manchester United from Sporting CP for a fee of £12.24 million. He was Manchester United's first Portuguese player. He wanted the number 28, which he wore at Sporting, but was eventually given the number 7. This number had been worn by George Best, Eric Cantona and David Beckham before him. He played his first game for the club on 16 August 2003 in a 4-0 win against Bolton Wanderers. Many people were impressed with his debut, including legendary United player George Best. Ronaldo's first goal with Manchester United was a free kick. He scored it in a 3-0 win against Portsmouth on 1 November 2003.

 

Ronaldo won his first trophy in England, the 2003-04 FA Cup, in May 2004, when Manchester United beat Millwall 3-0. Ronaldo scored the first goal of the match.

Ronaldo scored his first UEFA Champions League goals in a 7-1 victory against Roma in April 2007. He scored two goals that day in his 30th Champions League match. That year, he played in the FA Cup Final, but United lost 1-0 to Chelsea. Even though he lost the FA Cup final, he didn't end the season without a title because he won his first Premier League title.

In the 2007-08 season, Ronaldo scored his first and only hat-trick for Manchester United in a 6–0 win against Newcastle United on 12 January 2008. In the 2008 Champions League final against Chelsea, he scored a header as the match ended 1-1 after extra time. Although he missed his penalty, Manchester United won the shootout 6-5 and Ronaldo won his first UEFA Champions League. On 15 November 2008, Ronaldo scored his 100th goal for United in a 5-0 win against Stoke City. He also scored two free-kicks: the first one was his 100th goal. He scored a total of 42 goals. He won the European Golden Boot, an award given to the top scorer of every European national league.

He won the first FIFA Puskas Award in 2009. The Puskas Award is given to whoever scores the best goal of that year. The goal was a 40-yard strike into the top-left corner against FC Porto on 15 April 2009 in the Champions League quarter-finals. That goal was the only goal of the game. It was also an important goal because it sent United to the semi-finals. In the semi-final against Arsenal, Ronaldo scored two goals. One of them was a free kick from 40 yards out. His goals helped Man United qualify for the final, where they lost to Barcelona 2-0.

Real Madrid

 

Ronaldo joined Real Madrid on 1 July 2009 for a fee of €94 million. That was a world record transfer fee at the time. He also signed a six-year contract with the club. At his presentation as a Real Madrid player, 80,000 people greeted him at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium. This is the world record, breaking the 25-year record of 75,000 people at Diego Maradona's presentation for Napoli. He wore the number 9 in his first season because number 7 was taken by Raúl González. Ronaldo had to wait until Raul left the club in the summer of 2010 to wear number 7. He made his debut (first appearance) on 29 August 2009, in a La Liga game against Deportivo de La Coruña. He scored a goal and Real Madrid won 3-2. On 23 October 2010, Ronaldo scored 4 goals in a match for the first time in his career during a 6-1 win against Racing de Santander. Ronaldo scored a header in extra time in the 2011 Copa del Rey final against rivals Barcelona. His goal was the match-winner, so that was Ronaldo's first trophy in Spain. At the end of the 2010-11 season, he became the first player to score 40 goals in La Liga.

On 2 November 2011, Ronaldo scored both goals in a 2-0 Champions League group stage win against Olympique Lyon. The second goal was his 100th goal for Real Madrid. He achieved this in just 105 matches. He scored his 100th La Liga goal for his club in just 92 appearances in a 5-1 win against Real Sociedad on 24 March 2012.

Ronaldo began the 2012-13 season by winning the 2012 Supercopa de España. He scored in both legs, as Real Madrid won against Barca. In October 2012, he scored his first hat-trick in the Champions League in a 4-1 win against Ajax. On 6 January 2013, Ronaldo captained his club for the first time. In May 2013, he scored his 200th goal for Real Madrid in a 6-2 win against Málaga. He finished as the Champions League top scorer that season. Ronaldo won his second Ballon d'Or in 2013.

In the 2013-14 season, Ronaldo broke the record for most goals in one Champions League season by scoring his 17th goal with a penalty in extra time in the final against Atlético Madrid that Real Madrid won 4–1. The previous record was 14 goals, set by Messi in the 2011-12 season.

In the 2014-15 season, Ronaldo set a new personal record by scoring 61 goals in all competitions. This achievement helped him win his third Ballon d'Or. He scored five goals in one match for the first time in his career in a 9-1 win vs. Granada on 5 April 2015. He became Real Madrid's all-time top scorer when he scored 5 goals against RCD Espanyol in a 6-0 away win on 12 September 2015. This brought his total goal tally to 230 goals in 203 games. The previous record holder was Raul.

On 18 April 2017, he became the first player to reach 100 goals in the UEFA Champions League, after he scored a hat-trick in a 4-2 extra-time win against Bayern Munich. On 18 March 2018, Ronaldo reached his 50th career hat-trick in a 6-3 win against Girona. Ronaldo scored an amazing bicycle-kick in a UEFA Champions League match against Juventus on 3 April 2018. He got a standing ovation, or round of applause, from the Juventus fans after scoring that goal. Real Madrid went on to play the final against Liverpool F.C.. Real Madrid became champions, so that was Ronaldo's 5th Champions League.

Juventus

On 10 July 2018, He joined Juventus of Italy. He signed a 4-year contract worth 112 Million Euros. The transfer was the highest paid for a player over 30 years old. People called it "the deal of the century".

He scored his first goal for the club on 16 September against US Sassuolo. Juventus won 2-1 at home. Three days later, on 19 September, he was controversially sent off against Valencia C.F. for "violent behavior". He was crying as he received the red card and said he "did nothing". Ronaldo won his first trophy with the club, the 2018 Supercoppa Italiana, in January 2019. In the match, he scored the only goal from a header against AC Milan.

Return to Manchester United

On 31 August 2021, Ronaldo returned to Manchester United and the Premier League, where in the 2021-2022 season, scored 18 goals in the premier league.

Al-Nassr

On 30 December 2022, Ronaldo signed for Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr on a 2-year deal worth 200 million euros annually.

 

Youth

Ronaldo began his international career with the Portugal under-15s in 2001. In 2002, he played the U-17 Euro with Portugal's U-17. In June 2003, Ronaldo won the Toulon Tournament with the Portugal U-20. He also played with the U21s in 2003 during the 2004 U-21 Euro qualification stages. He also played with the Portugal under-23 team at the 2004 Summer Olympics, where he scored one goal against Morocco.

Senior

He kept progressing through the youth national teams until he played his first senior game for Portugal when he was 18 on 20 August 2003 against Kazakhstan. He scored his first goal for Portugal in a game against Greece at the UEFA Euro 2004.

Ronaldo was selected to play at the 2006 FIFA World Cup, also his first World Cup. He scored a goal against Iran during the tournament. That goal was also his first World Cup goal. In the match against England, Ronaldo's teammate at Manchester United, Wayne Rooney, was sent off. Ronaldo went up to the referee and appeared to ask the referee to give Rooney a red card. Rooney pushed Ronaldo as he was talking to the ref. After Rooney left the pitch, Ronaldo was caught on camera winking at the Portugal bench. Even though the referee said Rooney would've gotten the red card if Ronaldo complained or not, these actions caused a lot of fans to hate Ronaldo because they believed he influenced the referee's decision.

Ronaldo became captain of Portugal for the first time in a friendly game against Brazil on 6 February 2007. At Euro 2008, he scored one goal against Czech Republic. Portugal was eliminated in the quarter-finals by barely losing to Germany 3-2. In the 2010 World Cup, Ronaldo only scored one goal in a 7-0 win against North Korea, but was the man of the match in all of Portugal's 3 group stage games. Portugal were eliminated in the round of 16 by Spain 1-0, and Spain went on to win the World Cup.

His first international hat-trick came in a 4-2 win against Northern Ireland on 6 September 2013. In that match, he scored 3 goals in 15 minutes. He became Portugal's all time top scorer when he scored twice against Cameroon in March 2014, with Portugal winning 5-1. At the 2014 World Cup, Ronaldo scored a goal against Ghana, and assisted a last minute equalizer in a 2-2 draw against the United States. Ronaldo scored a back heel goal in a 3-3 draw against Hungary in Euro 2016. This goal made him the first player to score in four Euros. Although he had to leave the game early because he got injured in the UEFA Euro 2016 Final, Portugal still won 1-0 in extra time because of a goal from Eder.

In the 2018 World Cup held in Russia, Ronaldo scored 4 goals. In Portugal's first group game, he scored a hat trick against Spain in a 3-3 draw. After that, he scored the winning goal against Morocco. In the last group game, he missed a penalty in a 1-1 draw against Iran. Portugal qualified for the knockout stages by finishing second in the group. They were eliminated by Uruguay 2-1. Ronaldo became one of only four players to score at 4 World Cups. He has played at 4 of them: 2006, 2010, 2014, and 2018.

In June 2019, Ronaldo won the UEFA Nations League with Portugal, his second international title. In the final, Portugal beat The Netherlands 1-0.

Ronaldo can play on both wings and also as a striker since he is very strong with both feet, even though he is naturally right-footed. He is also one of the world's fastest players. He has good heading ability because he is over 6 feet tall and jumps high. He is also known for his powerful "knuckleball" free kicks. The "knuckleball" technique is when the ball spins very little and creates an unpredictable motion. He combines this with his powerful shot, making it hard for goalkeepers to stop his shots. Ronaldo has also been known for his dribbling, as he likes to do many tricks and feints with the ball to pass defenders, such as the step-over. When he was at Manchester United, he would play as a winger and try to send crosses into the middle. At Real Madrid, he changed his playing style by moving towards the middle and becoming more of a striker. He also focused more on scoring goals. When he arrived to Juventus, he stayed with this playing style of being a goal scorer and target man. However, he dribbled with the ball more because he sometimes liked to play his traditional winger position and go one-on-one with defenders. He also sent crosses more frequently than he did in his last few seasons at Real Madrid.

Reception

Ronaldo has been criticized for "diving" by many people, including his Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson. He has also been criticized for being arrogant, such as complaining for not receiving set-pieces (free-kicks and penalties) when he gets fouled, having too much self-confidence, not celebrating with teammates after scoring goals, and getting excessively angry with others after losing. Examples of this are when he threw a reporter's microphone into a lake before a UEFA Euro 2016 match, and negative comments made at the Iceland national team after playing against them.

Ronaldo's father, José Aveiro, died of liver disease at age 52 in September 2005. Ronaldo was 20 years old at the time. Ronaldo said that he does not like to drink alcohol, mostly because of his dad's death, but has on some very few occasions.

In 2006, Ronaldo opened his first fashion boutique under the name "CR7" (his initials and shirt number) on the island he was born in, Madeira. He opened a second boutique in Lisbon in 2008, and a third in 2009, located in Madrid. In December 2013, Ronaldo opened his museum called Museu CR7, which has all of his trophies and awards from his career.

Ronaldo became a father on 17 June 2010. He had a son named Cristiano Jr. He was born in the United States through an American surrogate he met in a restaurant, and Ronaldo announced that he had full custody. Ronaldo has never publicly revealed information about his son's mother, but he says he will reveal it to Cristiano Jr. when he gets older. On 8 June 2017, Ronaldo confirmed on social media that he had become the father to twins, Mateo and Eva. They were born to a surrogate mother in the United States. In November 2017, his girlfriend Georgina Rodriguez gave birth to their first daughter, Alana.

Ronaldo has had many relationships. He was in a relationship with Russian model Irina Shayk from 2010–2015. In 2016, he began to date Spanish model Georgina Rodriguez. They were publicly seen for the first time at Disneyland Paris in November 2016.

Ronaldo is a Roman Catholic. He does not have tattoos because it would prevent him from donating blood. On 9 November 2015, a movie about his lifestyle and his career was released. The title of the movie is Ronaldo.

On 29 March 2017, Madeira Airport was renamed to Cristiano Ronaldo International Airport. A bust of Ronaldo was also revealed as part of the official renaming ceremony.

He is currently the most followed Instagram user, with over 600 million followers as of 2023. He passed Selena Gomez as the most followed person in 2018, with 144 million followers.

Legal Issues

In June 2018, Ronaldo was given a suspended jail sentence of 2 years and a fine of €18.8 million for tax evasion.

In 2017, a woman claimed she was raped by Ronaldo at a hotel in Las Vegas in June 2009. Many articles state that Ronaldo and the woman both met each other at the nightclub of the hotel. Ronaldo later invited her to his suite, and that was where the rape occurred. Ronaldo paid that woman $375,000 to stay quiet, and an agreement was made between Ronaldo's lawyers and the woman's lawyers that if she publicly shared information about what happened, she had to pay the $375,000 back. Ronaldo himself denies raping the woman and calls it "fake news." In July 2019, prosecutors said they would not charge Ronaldo because there was not enough evidence.

Club

As of match played 19 May 2021

Notes