Cristiano Ronaldo is a professional soccer
player who has set records while playing for both Manchester United and Real
Madrid.
Who Is Cristiano Ronaldo?
Born on February 5, 1985, Cristiano
Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro is a Portuguese soccer superstar. By 2003 — when he
was just 16 years old — Manchester paid £12 million (over $14 million U.S.
dollars) to sign him, a record fee for a player of his age. In the 2004 FA Cup
final, Ronaldo scored Manchester's first three goals and helped them capture
the championship. In 2008, he set a franchise record for goals scored. In 2009,
Real Madrid paid a record $131 million for his services.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s Salary and Net Worth
According to Forbes, Cristiano Ronaldo took home $93 million in
2017, $58 million of which was salary and bonus paid by Real Madrid. Ronaldo’s
earnings made him the highest-paid soccer player for the fourth year in a row
and the highest-paid professional athlete of 2017. According to Celebrity Net
Worth, as of 2017 Ronaldo’s net worth is an estimated $400 million.
Ronaldo’s Girlfriend and Kids
Cristiano Ronaldo is dating the Spanish
model Georgina Rodriguez; the couple was first seen together publicly around
November 2016. In June 2017, the couple welcomed twins, a boy and a girl, via a
surrogate. In November 2017 Rodriguez added to their family with the birth of
another girl. Ronaldo’s first child, Cristiano Jr., was born to a former
girlfriend in June 2010.
Statues
In March 2017, self-taught sculptor Emanuel
Santos unveiled a bronze bust of Cristiano Ronaldo at the airport in Ronaldo’s
hometown of Madeira, Portugal. The statue was ridiculed for its sinister smile
and apparent lack of likeness to its subject, though Santos didn't seem to
understand the uproar. "I asked [Ronaldo] what he thought of the result
and he said he liked it," said Santos. "He only asked for some
wrinkles that give him a certain expression to his face when he laughs to be
changed. He said it made him look older and asked for it to be thinned out a
bit to make it smoother and more jovial."
In the wake of the negative publicity, the
sports site Bleacher Report commissioned Santos to fashion another sculpture of
Ronaldo. This one, unveiled in March 2018, earned praise for more closely
resembling the soccer great, though its creator continued to defend his
original work. "I liked the result [of the first bust] and was really
proud of it," he told Bleacher Report. "And if I had to do it again,
I would make everything exactly the same."
When and Where Was Ronaldo Born?
Cristiano Ronaldo was born on February 5,
1985, in Funchal, Madeira, Portugal, a small island off the western coast of
the country.
Contract with Manchester United
In 2001, when Cristiano Ronaldo was just 16
years old, Manchester United paid more than £12 million to sign him — a record
fee for a player of his age. Ronaldo had turned heads with a mesmerizing
performance with Portugal against Manchester, wowing even his opponents with
his footwork and deft skill. He made such an impression that a number of United
players asked their manager to try and sign the young player, which the team
soon did.
Ronaldo did not disappoint the soccer
world. He showed his promise early on in the 2004 FA Cup final, scoring the
team's first three goals and helping them capture the championship. In 2007,
Ronaldo signed a five-year, £31 million contract. A year later, Ronaldo again
justified his high salary when he put together one of the club's finest seasons
in history, setting a franchise record for goals scored (42), and earning
himself the FIFA World Player of the Year honor for 2008. In all, Ronaldo
helped steer Manchester United to three premier league titles.
Real Madrid
In 2009, the Spanish soccer club Real
Madrid agreed to pay Manchester United a record $131 million for the chance to
sign Ronaldo. Ronaldo’s commitment to Manchester United had come under constant
question, and speculation swirled that he wanted to play elsewhere, so nobody
was all that surprised to see Ronaldo leave.
"I know that they are going to demand
a lot of me to be successful at the club and I know that I'm going to have much
more pressure than at Manchester United because I was there for many years,"
Ronaldo told reporters. "But it means a new challenge and is going to help
me be the best footballer."
Ronaldo went on to compile an impressive
list of individual honors and team trophies. In January 2017, Ronaldo won
FIFA's 2016 best player of the year for the fourth time, beating out FC
Barcelona's Lionel
Messi. Ronaldo’s 2016 wins included the European Championship, Champions
League, and Club World Cup, plus individual awards from UEFA and France Football magazine, according
to USA
Today. In
his acceptance speech, Ronaldo said: "2016 was the best year of my
career."
Portugal National Team
On July 10, 2016, Ronaldo added an
emotional victory to his collection. As his national team's captain, Ronaldo
led Portugal to the European Championship final against France. Although he was
sidelined after suffering a knee injury 25 minutes into the match, Portugal
went on to win the championship title 1-0, their first international trophy.
Ronaldo's teammates said that he motivated them as team captain from the
sidelines. "He gave us a lot of confidence and he said, 'Listen people,
I'm sure we will win this Euro so stay together and fight for it,’” full-back
Cedric Soares said after Portugal’s victory.
"This is one of the happiest moments
in my career,” Ronaldo commented. ”I’ve always said I wanted to win a trophy
with the national team and make history. And I did it. Thank God,things went
well for us."
Family
Ronaldo is the youngest of four children
born to Maria Dolores dos Santos and Jose Dinis Aveiro. He was named after Ronald Reagan,
one of his father's favorite actors.
Ronaldo grew up in a largely working class
neighborhood in a small tin-roofed home that overlooked the ocean. Ronaldo was
introduced to the game of soccer through his dad, who worked as an equipment
manager at a boy's club. His early life was shaped by hardship, as his father
often drank too much. To help keep the children fed and maintain some financial
stability, Ronaldo's mother worked as a cook and cleaning person.
In 2005, when Ronaldo was playing for
Manchester United, his father died from alcohol-related kidney problems; in
2007, his mother struggled with breast cancer. The former was especially hard
for Ronaldo since he and his dad had been close. The young athlete had often
pushed for his father to enter rehab and address his drinking. His father,
however, never accepted the offer.
Early Life
By the time he was 10 years old, Ronaldo
was already recognized as a phenomenon — a kid who ate, slept and drank soccer.
"All he wanted to do as a boy was play football," his godfather,
Fernao Sousa, recalled for British reporters, adding, "He loved the game
so much he'd miss meals or escape out of his bedroom window with a ball when he
was supposed to be doing his homework."
By his early teens, Ronaldo's talent and
legend had grown considerably. After a stint with Nacional da liha da Madeira,
he signed with Sporting Portugal in 2001.
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