Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro,
OIH, (
Portuguese pronunciation: [kɾɨʃˈtiɐnu ʁuˈnaɫdu]; born 5 February 1985),
[2] commonly known as
Cristiano Ronaldo, is a
Portuguese footballer who plays as a
forward for Spanish club
Real Madrid and serves as captain of the
Portuguese national team. Ronaldo currently holds the distinction of being the most expensive player in football history after having transferred to Real Madrid from
Manchester United in a deal worth £80 million (
€94m,
US$132m). His contract with Real Madrid is believed to have made him the highest-paid football player in the world.
[3]
Ronaldo began his career as a youth player for
Andorinha, where he played for two years, then moved to
Nacional. In 1997, he made a move to Portuguese giants
Sporting CP. Ronaldo's precocious talent caught the attention of Manchester United manager
Alex Ferguson and he signed the 18-year-old for £12.24 million in 2003. The following season, Ronaldo won his first club honour, the
FA Cup, and reached the
Euro 2004 final with Portugal, in which tournament he scored his first international goal.
In 2008, Ronaldo won his first
Champions League title, and was named
player of the tournament. He was named the
FIFPro World Player of the Year
[4] and the
FIFA World Player of the Year, in addition to becoming Manchester United's first
Ballon d'Or winner in 40 years.
[5] Three-time Ballon d'Or winner
Johan Cruyff said in an interview on 2 April 2008, "Ronaldo is better than
George Best and
Denis Law, who were two brilliant and great players in the history of United."
[6]
Early life
Ronaldo was born on 5 February 1985 in
Santo António, a neighbourhood of
Funchal,
Madeira, the youngest child of Maria Dolores dos Santos Aveiro, a cook, and José Dinis Aveiro, a municipal gardener.
[7] His second
given name, "Ronaldo", was chosen after then-
U.S. president Ronald Reagan, who was his father's favourite actor.
[8] He has one older brother, Hugo, and two older sisters, Elma and Liliana Cátia.
[2]
Club career
Early career
At the age of eight, Ronaldo played for amateur team
Andorinha, where his father was the kit man. In 1995, Ronaldo signed with local club
Nacional, and, after a title-winning campaign, he went on a three-day trial with
Sporting CP, who subsequently signed him for an undisclosed sum.
[9]
Sporting CP
Ronaldo joined Sporting's other youth players who trained at the
Academia Sporting, the club's football academy, in
Alcochete. He became the only player ever to play for Sporting's U-16, U-17, U-18, B-team, and first team, all within one season.
[10] He scored two goals in his Sporting debut against
Moreirense, while featuring for Portugal in the
2002 European Under-17 Championship.
[11]
When he was 15, Ronaldo was diagnosed with a racing heart, a condition that might have forced him to give up playing football. The Sporting staff were made aware of the condition and Ronaldo's mother gave her authorisation for him to go into hospital. While there, he had an operation in which a laser was used to cauterise the area of his heart that was causing the problem. The surgery took place in the morning and Ronaldo was discharged from hospital by the end of the afternoon; he resumed training only a few days later.
[12]
He was first spotted by then-
Liverpool manager
Gérard Houllier at the age of 16, but Liverpool declined to take him on because they decided he was too young and needed some time to develop his skills.
[13] However, he came to the attention of
Manchester United manager
Alex Ferguson in the summer of 2003, when Sporting defeated United 3–1 in the inauguration of the
Estádio José Alvalade in
Lisbon. Ronaldo's performance impressed the Manchester United players, who urged Ferguson to sign him.
[14]
Manchester United
2003–2005
Ronaldo with Manchester United
Ronaldo became
Manchester United's first-ever Portuguese player when he signed for £12.24 million after the
2002–03 season.
[15] He requested the number 28 (his number at Sporting), as he did not want the pressure of living up to the expectation linked to the number 7 shirt, which had previously been worn by players such as
George Best,
Bryan Robson,
Eric Cantona, and
David Beckham. "After I joined, the manager asked me what number I'd like. I said 28. But Ferguson said 'No, you're going to have No. 7,' and the famous shirt was an extra source of motivation. I was forced to live up to such an honour."
[16]
Ronaldo made his team debut as a 60th-minute substitute in a 4–0 home victory over
Bolton Wanderers. He scored his first goal for Manchester United with a free kick in a 3–0 win over
Portsmouth on 1 November 2003. He scored United's 1000th Premier League goal on 29 October 2005 in a 4–1 loss to
Middlesbrough.
[17] He scored ten goals in all competitions, and fans voted him to his first
FIFPro Special Young Player of the Year award in 2005.
2006–2007
Ronaldo with United during their 2006–2007 season.
In November and December 2006, Ronaldo received consecutive
Barclays Player of the Month honours, becoming only the third player in Premier League history to do so after
Dennis Bergkamp in 1997 and
Robbie Fowler in 1996.
[18][19] He scored his 50th Manchester United goal against city rivals
Manchester City on 5 May 2007 as United claimed their first Premier League title in four years, and he was voted into his second consecutive FIFPro Special Young Player of the Year award at the end of the year.
Despite rumours circulating in March 2007 that
Real Madrid were willing to pay an unprecedented €80 million (£54 million) for Ronaldo,
[20] he signed a five-year, £120,000-a-week (£31 million total) extension with United on 13 April, making him the highest-paid player in team history.
[21][22]
Ronaldo amassed a host of personal awards for the season. He won the
PFA Players' Player of the Year and
PFA Young Player of the Year awards, joining
Andy Gray (in
1977) as the only players to receive this honour.
[23] In April, he completed the treble by winning the
PFA Fans' Player of the Year. Ronaldo was also one of eight Manchester United players named in the 2006–07
PFA Premier League Team of the Year.
2007–2008
Ronaldo's
2007–08 season began with a
red card for a headbutt on
Portsmouth player
Richard Hughes during United's second match of the season, for which he was punished with a three-match ban.
[24] Ronaldo said he had "learned a lot" from the experience and would not let players "provoke" him in the future.
[25] After scoring the only goal in a Champions League away match against Sporting, Ronaldo also scored the injury-time winner in the return fixture as Manchester United topped their Champions League group.
[26]
He finished as the runner-up to
Kaká for the 2007
Ballon d'Or,
[27] and was third in the running for the
FIFA World Player of the Year award, behind Kaká and
Lionel Messi.
[28]
Ronaldo scored his first
hat trick for Manchester United in a 6–0 win against
Newcastle United at
Old Trafford on 12 January 2008, bringing Manchester United up to the top of the Premier League table.
[29] He scored his twenty-third league goal of the season in a 2–0 win against
Reading, equalling his entire total for the 2006–07 season.
[30] During a 1–1 Champions League first knockout round draw against
Lyon on 20 February, an unidentified Lyon supporter continuously aimed a green laser at Ronaldo and United teammate
Nani, prompting an investigation by UEFA.
[31] One month later, Lyon were fined
CHF5,000 (£2,427) for the incident.
[32]
On 19 March 2008, Ronaldo captained United for the first time in his career in a home win over Bolton, scoring both goals in the 2–0 victory.
[33] The second of the goals was his 33rd of the campaign, which set a new club single-season scoring record by a midfielder and thus topped George Best's forty-year-old total of 32 goals in the 1967–68 season.
[34] Ronaldo scored another brace in a 4–0 win over
Aston Villa on 29 March, which at the time gave him 35 goals in 37 domestic and European matches as both a starter and substitute. Ronaldo's scoring streak was rewarded with his becoming the first winger to win the 2007–08
European Golden Shoe, finishing eight points ahead of
Mallorca's
Dani Güiza.
[35]
In the
2007–08 Champions League final on 21 May against league rivals
Chelsea, Ronaldo scored the opening goal after 26 minutes, which was negated by a Chelsea equaliser in the 45th minute as the match ended 1–1 after extra time. His misfire in the penalty shoot-out put Chelsea in position to win the trophy, but
John Terry shot wide right after slipping on the pitch surface, and Manchester United emerged victorious 6–5 on penalties. Ronaldo was named the UEFA Fans' Man of the Match,
[36] and wrapped up the campaign with a career-high 42 goals in all competitions, falling four short of
Denis Law's team-record mark of 46 in the 1963–64 season.
2008–2009
Ronaldo taking a free kick.
On 5 June 2008,
Sky Sports reported that Ronaldo had expressed an interest in moving to
Real Madrid if they offered him the same amount of money the team had allegedly promised him earlier in the year.
[37] Manchester United filed a tampering complaint with
FIFA on 9 June over Madrid's alleged pursuit of Ronaldo, but FIFA declined to take any action.
[38][39] Speculation that a transfer would happen continued until 6 August, when Ronaldo confirmed that he would stay at Manchester for at least another year.
[40]
Ronaldo underwent ankle surgery at the
Academic Medical Center in
Amsterdam on 7 July.
[41] He returned to action on 17 September in United's
UEFA Champions League goalless group-stage draw with
Villarreal as a substitute for
Park Ji-Sung,
[42] and scored his first overall goal of the season in a 3–1
League Cup third round win over Middlesbrough on 24 September.
In a 5–0 win over
Stoke City on 15 November 2008, Ronaldo scored his 100th and 101st goals in all competitions for Manchester United, both from free kicks.
[43] The goals also meant that Ronaldo had now scored against each of the other 19 teams in the Premier League at the time.
[44]
Ronaldo and Manchester United against rivals
LiverpoolOn 2 December, Ronaldo became Manchester United's first
Ballon d'Or recipient since
George Best in
1968. He finished with 446 points, 165 ahead of runner-up
Lionel Messi.
[45] He was awarded the Silver Ball after finishing with two goals as United won the
Club World Cup on 19 December.
[46]
On 8 January 2009, Ronaldo was uninjured in a single-car accident in which he
wrote off his
Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano in a tunnel along the
A538 near
Manchester Airport. A
breathalyzer test he gave to police officers at the scene was negative, and he attended training later that morning.
[47] Four days later, he became the first Premier League player ever to be named the
FIFA World Player of the Year, in addition to being the first Portuguese player to win the award since
Luís Figo in 2001.
[48]
Ronaldo scored his first Champions League goal of the season, and first since the final against Chelsea, in a 2–0 victory over
Internazionale that sent United into the quarter-finals.
[49] In the second leg against
Porto, Ronaldo scored a 40-yard game-winning goal as United advanced to the semi-finals. He later called it the best goal he had ever scored.
[50][51] Ronaldo participated in his second consecutive
Champions League final, but made little impact in United's 2–0 loss to Barcelona. He finished with 53 appearances in all competitions, which was four higher than the previous year, but scored sixteen fewer goals (26) than his career-best total of 42 from the previous season.
On 11 June, Manchester United accepted an unconditional offer of £80 million from Real Madrid for Ronaldo after it was revealed that he again had expressed his desire to leave the club.
[52] It was confirmed by a representative of the Glazer family that the sale was fully condoned by Ferguson.
[53] When Ronaldo had eventually completed his transfer to Real, he expressed his gratitude towards Ferguson for helping him develop as a player, saying, "He's been my father in sport, one of the most important factors and most influential in my career."
[54]
Real Madrid
On 26 June 2009,
Real Madrid confirmed that Ronaldo would join the club on 1 July 2009, after agreeing terms and signing a six-year contract.
[55] It is believed that Ronaldo's contract is worth €13 million per season and it has a €1 billion buy-out clause.
[56] He was presented to the world media as a Real Madrid player on 6 July,
[57] where he was handed the number 9 jersey.
[58] The shirt was presented to him by Madrid legend
Alfredo di Stéfano.
[59] Ronaldo was welcomed by 80,000 fans at his presentation at the
Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, surpassing
Diego Maradona's record of 75,000 fans when he was presented in Italy, after he was transferred from
Barcelona to
Napoli in 1984.
[60]
Ronaldo made his Madrid debut on 21 July in a 1–0 win over
Shamrock Rovers. His first goal came one week later on a penalty in Madrid's 4–2
LDU Quito.
[61] On 29 August, Ronaldo capped his
La Liga debut with a goal, scoring Real's second from the penalty spot in a 3–2 home win against
Deportivo La Coruña.
[62] On 15 September, Ronaldo scored his first Champions League goals, both on free kicks, against
Zürich in a 5–2 win.
[63] He broke a Madrid club record when he scored in a league match against
Villarreal and thus became the first ever player to score in his first four La Liga appearances.
[64]
An ankle injury suffered on 10 October, while Ronaldo was on international duty with
Portugal against
Hungary,
[65] kept him out until 25 November, which in turn caused him to miss both of Madrid's Champions League group stage matches against
Milan. Ronaldo made his first post-injury start in a 1–0
El Clásico defeat to
Barcelona on 29 November. On 6 December, he was sent off for the first time in his Madrid career in Madrid's 4–2 victory against
Almería, a match which also saw him miss a penalty. He was carded first for removing his shirt during a goal celebration, then for kicking out at an opponent three minutes later.
[66]
International career
Ronaldo playing against
BrazilRonaldo earned his first cap for Portugal in a 1–0 victory against
Kazakhstan on 20 August 2003.
[67] He was called up for
Euro 2004,
[68] scoring in a 2–1 group stage loss to eventual champions
Greece[69] and in a 2–1 semi-final win over the
Netherlands.
[70] He was named in the team of the tournament despite finishing with only two goals.
[71] That same year, he also represented Portugal at the
2004 Summer Olympics.
[72][73]
2006 World Cup
Ronaldo was the second-highest scorer in
FIFA World Cup qualification in the European zone with seven goals,
[71] and scored his first and only
World Cup goal against
Iran with a penalty kick.
[74]
During a
quarter-final match against
England on 1 July 2006, Ronaldo's United teammate
Wayne Rooney was
sent off for stamping on Portugal defender
Ricardo Carvalho. The English media speculated that Ronaldo had influenced referee
Horacio Elizondo's decision by aggressively complaining, after which he was seen in replays winking at the Portuguese bench following Rooney's dismissal. After the match, Ronaldo insisted that Rooney was a friend and that he was not pushing for Rooney to be sent off.
[75] On 4 July, Elizondo clarified that the red card was due to Rooney's infraction and not the fracas between Rooney and Ronaldo that followed.
[76]
The angry reaction from the English press caused Ronaldo to consider leaving United,
[77] and he allegedly told Spanish sports daily
Marca that he wished to move to Real Madrid.
[78] In response to the speculation, Ferguson sent Portuguese assistant manager
Carlos Queiroz to speak to Ronaldo in attempt to change his mind, a sentiment that was shared by Rooney.
[79][80] Ronaldo stayed, and signed his new five-year extension in April 2007.
[81]
Ronaldo was booed during Portugal's semi-final defeat to France,
[82] and missed out on the competition's Best Young Player award due to a negative e-mail campaign from England fans.
[83] Though the online vote only affected the nomination process, FIFA's Technical Study Group awarded the honour to
Germany's
Lukas Podolski, citing Ronaldo's behaviour as a factor in the decision.
[84]
Post-World Cup
One day after his 22nd birthday, Ronaldo captained Portugal for the first time in a friendly against
Brazil on 6 February 2007.
[85] This move was in honour of
Portuguese Football Federation president Carlos Silva, who had died two days earlier. Portugal coach
Luiz Felipe Scolari explained, "Mr. Silva asked me to make [Ronaldo] captain as a gesture... [he] is too young to be captain, but Mr. Silva asked me, and now he is no longer with us."
[86]
Ronaldo scored eight goals in Portugal's
UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying campaign,
[87] behind Poland's
Ebi Smolarek, but finished with only one goal in the tournament as Portugal were eliminated in the quarter-finals by
Germany.
[88][89] Since the appointment of new Portuguese coach
Carlos Queiroz,
[90] Ronaldo has been named the new captain of the squad.
[91]
On 10 September 2009, in a
World Cup qualification match against
Hungary, Ronaldo provided an assist for the first goal scored by
Simão and Portugal went to win the game 3–0. Following the win against
Malta by 4–0, and the
Sweden loss to
Denmark, Portugal finished in second place, which qualified them for the UEFA playoff. Ronaldo was called-up for the play-offs with much controversy and disagreement from the
Merengues, due to the injury he had aggravated on the game against Hungary, and was submitted to physicals by the Portuguese team, but was later announced his inability to play against
Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Source:
en.wikpedia.org
