CRISTIANO RONALDO

TEAMS PLAYED FOR

Real Madrid: 2009 -
Manchester United: 2003 - 2009
Sporting Lisbon: 2001 - 2003
Nacional: 1995 - 1997
Andorinha: 1993 - 1995

BIO

Cristiano Ronaldo (full name Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro)

was born on February 5th, 1985, on the small island of Madeira, which is owned by Portugal. Named after Ronald Reagan, his father`s favorite actor, few would have gambled that this child would become one of the most famous soccer players on the planet. He has one brother and two sisters, and it is family whom he deems most important in his life at the moment.

It was on the dusty back-streets of this small island that Ronaldo learned his first few tricks with the ball, and it was also on this island that he was first scouted. By the age of twelve Ronaldo had established himself as the best player on the Island, able to use his ball skills and pace to get past full-grown defenders he played against. 

Having been recognised as a serious talent, all that was left was for the big Portuguese clubs to scrap it out for his signature. Though Porto and Boavista came in for him, he could only ever play for Sporting, the club he supported as a boy. 

CLUB CAREER

He progressed slowly through the youth ranks, although all those who worked with him were impressed with the talent that he had for his age, as well as his maturity. At the tender age of 17, Ronaldo was thrown in at the deep end with his first game against Moreirense. Two goals on his first appearance not only gave him his dream debut, but also endeared him to the fans, who soon learned to chant for the ball to be passed to him. A goal against title-rivals Boavista also saw him rise to the top of the "Fan`s Favorites" list. 
His skills were watched closely by all of the big clubs in Europe, including Liverpool and Juventus, in the U-17 European Championships. His dazzling skills put England U-17s out, and everyone who watched felt they had seen something special. At the end of his first season at Sporting he was linked to Liverpool. Though he claimed he was extremely happy at Sporting, he was also flattered by the interest of such a big club, who used to do well in the Premier League.

Sporting finished top in the league, and Ronaldo was hailed as the future of the club.  
The deal saw Ronaldo become the most expensive teenage signing in Britain, with Manchester United paying £12.24million over two seasons, in two equal payments. Those who had not seen him play laughed at the price as this was a lot of money for someone unproven! Those who had seen the Man Utd vs. Sporting friendly three days before, however, knew that this player was special. Playing for Sporting, Ronaldo had taken the game to the reds, and was the main reason that Manchester United lost 3-1. After the game, all the United players could talk about was how well Ronaldo had played, and they begged Sir Alex to buy him. Sir Alex had been following him for months, but decided that the time was right not least because other clubs were getting increasingly closer to buying him.

An so, on 12th August 2003, Cristiano Ronaldo held up the famous Red shirt, with his favorite number 7 (his hero's, Luis Figo`s number) for all the press to see.

Ronaldo's first performance for the club was against Bolton. He entered the fray with an hour gone, with United 1 0 up. A standing ovation from the fans at Old Trafford did nothing to settle his nerves, but he rewarded the fans for their trust. A man-of-the-match performance followed, and Ronaldo became legend. He had a hand in two of the goals, won an unconverted penalty, and mesmerized the Bolton defense.
The next day the media proclaimed him one of the best players ever for United, comparing him with Red-Legend George Best.
While at United, Ronaldo played in 196 games and scored 84 goals.  In November and December of 2006, Ronaldo received consecutive Player of the Month honors, becoming only the third player in Premier League history to do so after Dennis Bergkamp and Robbie Fowler. Having won numerous team and personal awards (World Player of the Year among others) during his seven years at Old Trafford, Ronaldo signed a six-year contract with Real Madrid making him the most expensive player in world soccer history.  The deal was worth over $130 million. 

PERSONAL INFO

Ronaldo was nicknamed "Cry-baby" as he used to cly a lot when he was little... Liverpool had a chance to sign Ronaldo but decided against it as they thought he was not good enough... HIs favorite players is Luis Figo... Drives Ferrari... Favorite movies "Sixth Sense" and "The Rock"... Favorite food Portugese cod fish with potatoes and scrambled eggs... Favorite moviestars Jean Claude Vandamme and Angelina Jolie...

TITLES AND AWARDS

Manchester United

Premier League: 2007, 2008, 2009
FA Cup: 2004
League Cup: 2006, 2009
FA Community Shield: 2007
UEFA Champions League: 2008
FIFA Club World Cup: 2008

International

UEFA Euro 2004: Team of the tournament
Portugese Player of the Year: 2007
UEFA Team of the Year: 2004, 2007, 2008
FIFA World Player of the Year: 2008