The son of Maria Dolores dos Santos Aveiro and José Dinis Aveiro, Cristiano Ronaldo was born on February 5, 1985 in Funchal, Madeira, Portugal under the name Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro. His middle name, Ronaldo, was given to him by his father, who was a great admirer of US President Ronald Regan. The youngest of four children, Cristiano Ronaldo has three brothers; an older brother Hugo and two sisters; Elma and Liliana Cátia, who works as a singer in Portugal under the stage name of Ronalda.
Portuguese footballer who plays in the Barclays Premier League 2006-2007, Champions 2007-2008 and winner of the Champions League 2007-2008; manchester united. Wearing jersey number 7, he plays as a winger, central attacker and second striker. His passion for football was seen from the age of three and at six years old, when he started primary school, this passion became even more evident. His football career began at the age of eight when he played for the first time in the Andorinha amateur team, in which his father was the prop man. In 1995, aged just ten, his reputation grew in Portugal, which saw Madeira’s top two teams, CS Marítimo and CD Nacional, show keen interest in signing the youngster. He signed for CD Nacional and after a title-winning season; he went on a three-day trial at Sporting, who immediately signed him for an undisclosed sum of money.
At Sporting, the Portuguese winger was trained in the club’s football factory, Alcochete; where his skills were nurtured. Although his progression at the club was hampered by his growth, Cristiano Ronaldo became the only player in the club’s history to represent the Under-16, Under-17, Under-18, B and first team in the same season. He scored twice on his debut for Sporting against Moreirense and featured in Portugal’s under-17 squad for the UEFA Under-17 Championship. His appearance for Portugal in these championships piqued the interest of then Liverpool manager Gérard Houllier at the age of 16, but Houllier refused to sign him as he considered him too young.
However, in 2003 the winger caught the eye of Manchester United’s Alex Ferguson when Sporting beat Manchester United 3–1 in a match that marked the opening of the Alvalade XXI stadium in Lisbon. With David Beckham gone, Manchester needed a right winger and signed him for £12.24m, becoming Manchester United’s first Portuguese player in history. The Portuguese winger made his first appearance for the Red Devils at Old Trafford in a 4-0 victory. Scoring his first goal for Manchester United in the 2004 FA Cup Final against Millwall FC, the winger also scored Manchester United’s 1,000th goal in a 4–1 loss to Middlesbrough in October 2005. of the season, he had a 10-goal tally and was voted by fans to be the 2005 FIFPro Special Young Player of the Year, an award he also won in 2006.
In the summer of 2006, the Portuguese winger was at the center of a controversy with his Manchester United teammate and English striker Wayne Rooney; when both teams met in the quarterfinals of the world cup. In the incident, Rooney was shown a red card and England’s subsequent elimination from the world cup on penalties; the last of which was taken out by the side. Despite the incident, the two players remained friends, and in November 2006, he again won the Barclays Player of the Month award, an award he also won in December 2006. He scored his 50th goal for Manchester United, which it turned out to be the decisive goal that Manchester United gave him. their first Premiership title in four years against rivals Manchester City.
In April 2007, the Portuguese signed a new five-year deal worth £120,000 a week, making him the highest-paid player in Manchester United history. Among his accolades, the Portuguese footballer won the PFA Player of the Year award, the PFA Young Player of the Year award, the PFA Fans’ Player of the Year, the Football Writers’ Association Award and the Footballer Portuguese of the Year 2007 at the end of his 2006-2007 season at Old Trafford.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s 2007-2008 season for the Barclays Premier League champions saw him surpass George Best’s forty-year-old record for the most goals scored by a midfielder in a season, with 32 goals while scoring 42 goals in all competitions helping Manchester United to come back. Premiership titles and the coveted UEFA Champions League title. Ronaldo, who also placed third in the FIFA World Player of the Year awards in 2007, will be looking to place first in the same awards this year as he has proven himself to be the best player on the planet with stellar performances this season. However, Cristiano Ronaldo had a very disappointing Euro 2008 campaign with Portugal, in which he only scored one goal for his country which was eliminated by Germany in the quarter-finals. He has also been linked to a lucrative transfer deal worth approximately £100m to La Liga giants Real Madrid.
