Everything you need to know about the Portuguese superstar!
Cristiano Ronaldo is a Portuguese professional footballer who currently plays as a forward for Al-Nassr and the Portugal national team. Born on February 5, 1985, Ronaldo began his professional football career with Sporting CP in Portugal before signing with Manchester United in 2003.
He spent six successful seasons with the club before signing for Real Madrid in 2009, where he became one of the best players in the world.
In 2018, Ronaldo joined Juventus, where he won two Serie A titles before returning to Manchester United in 2021.
He has also had a successful international career, helping Portugal win the 2016 Uefa European Championship and reaching the semi-finals of the 2018 Fifa World Cup.
Ronaldo is widely regarded as one of the greatest footballers of all time and has a huge following of fans around the world.
He is known for his exceptional dribbling skills, incredible speed, and his exceptional goalscoring ability.
But what are the 13 things you absolutely need to know about the attacker?
Getty ImagesNamed after US president
Cristiano Ronaldo was named after former U.S. President Ronald Reagan.
He was born just a month after the actor-turned-politician Reagan had been sworn in for his second term in the White House. It is believed his mother was a fan of the 40th US president.
Ronaldo’s father was a kitman in his first club
Cristiano Ronaldo’s father Jose Dinis Aveiro was a kit man at the club Andorinha where his son began playing football at the age of eight.
He quickly showed a natural talent for the sport and was soon scouted by Sporting CP’s youth academy.
At the age of 12, he moved to the mainland to join the academy and develop his skills as a professional player.
Getty ImagesReal Madrid paid a world record transfer fee for Ronaldo
In 2009, Ronaldo transferred to Real Madrid for a then-world record transfer fee of £80 million.
He spent nine seasons with the club, where he cemented his status as one of the greatest players of all time.
During his time at Real Madrid, Ronaldo won four Ballon d’Or awards, four Champions League titles, two La Liga titles, and numerous other titles and awards.
GettyAll-time highest international goalscorer in men’s football
Cristiano Ronaldo is the highest international goalscorer among active male football players, with 118 goals scored for Portugal.
A successful businessman
In addition to his success on the field, Ronaldo is also a successful businessman, with a line of CR7 branded products that include clothing, footwear, and fragrance.
He also has a hotel, a museum, and a number of restaurants in Madeira, Portugal.
A museum dedicated to Ronaldo
The Museu CR7 is a museum dedicated to the life and career of Portuguese footballer Cristiano Ronaldo.
It is located in Funchal, Madeira, Portugal, and showcases memorabilia and artefacts from Ronaldo’s personal and professional life, including his childhood, his rise to fame, and his achievements as a footballer.
The museum provides visitors with an interactive and immersive experience, including multimedia displays, interactive games, and personal items belonging to Ronaldo, such as his Ballon d’Or awards and his Portugal national team shirts.
The Museum CR7 is a tribute to one of the greatest footballers of all time.
A galaxy named after Ronaldo
In 2015, astronomers, led by David Sobral, a Reader in Astrophysics at the University of Lancaster, used the Very Large Telescope (VLT) at the European Southern Observatory, with help from the W. M. Keck Observatory, Subaru Telescope and the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, made the discovery.
The research team included members of the University of California, Riverside, University of Geneva, University of Leiden and the University of Lisbon.
The name of the galaxy (Cosmos Redshift 7 Galaxy or CR7 Galaxy) was inspired by Ronaldo himself.
GettyImagesAirport named after Ronaldo
The Madeira International Airport, also known as Cristiano Ronaldo International Airport, is an international airport located on the Portuguese island of Madeira.
It was renamed in 2017 in honour of Madeira-born footballer Cristiano Ronaldo, who is considered one of the greatest footballers of all time.
The airport serves as a hub for several airlines, connecting Madeira to destinations across Europe and the Atlantic.
Getty ImagesName-checked in a Drake song
In 2018, famous Canadian musician Drake released a music album named Scorpion. In that album, a song named Blue Tint has mentioned the star player.
One of the lines of the song goes, “Way this sh*t set up I live like Ronaldo, but I never been in Madrid.”
Getty Images x GoalOwner of 20 luxurious cars!
Like many of his peers, Ronaldo loves cars and owns as many as 20 luxurious cars, the most famous ones being a Bugatti Chiron, Ferrari 599 GTO and Rolls-Royce Phantom.
First ever recipient of the Puskas award
The Puskas Award, given to the best goal scored in a calendar year, was started in 2009 and Cristiano Ronaldo was the first-ever recipient of the award.
He won it for his long-range goal against FC Porto in the 2008/09 Champions League for Manchester United.
A subject of study at a university
Interestingly, Cristiano Ronaldo is also a subject of study at the University of British Columbia Okanagan in Canada.
Sociology students at the university have the option to study the life and career of the superstar as a course subject.
A charitable man
Off the field, Ronaldo is known for his charitable work.
In 2015, he founded the Cristiano Ronaldo Foundation to help children in need and has since been involved in a number of other charitable initiatives.
