Cristiano Ronaldo – outstanding football player

Cristiano Ronaldo is a Portuguese footballer who plays for Spanish club Real Madrid and the national team of Portugal, which was the 2016 European champion of the year. He was the most expensive player in football history – Real Madrid paid 80 million pounds for his transfer from Manchester United. He is a top scorer in the history of the Portuguese national team and is considered one of the best players of our time. Cristiano is officially recognized as the best player in the history of Portuguese football.
Ronaldo was named the best young player of the 2004 European Championship, champion of the English Premier League 2006/07 season (the best player and the best young player of the season), 2007/08 (best player of the season) and 2008/09. He is a winner of Golden Boot in 2008, 2011, 2014 and 2015. In 2008 he was voted the best player of Champions League, received Golden Ball as the best footballer in Europe, and FIFA World Player of the Year award as the best player in the world. In January 2015, he won his third Golden Ball as the best player in the world in 2014.

Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro was born on February 5, 1985 in Funchal. Cristiano was the fourth child into the family of Maria Dolores dos Santos Aveiro and José Dinis Aveiro. He has elder brother Hugo (born in 1975), and two sisters, Elma (born in 1974) and Liliana Kathy, who is a singer performing under the stage name Ronalda. Cristiano’s second name Ronaldo is rather rare for Portugal. The parents called the boy in honor of Ronald Reagan, as his father was a fan of the US president.
At the age of eight, he played for amateur team Andorinha, where his father worked. In 1995, Cristiano signed a contract with the local club Nacional. After a victorious campaign in Nacional Ronaldo went on a three-day preview in Sporting and signed a contract.
In 2003 he was noticed by the head coach of Manchester United Sir Alex Ferguson and signed a contract. Ronaldo was the first Portuguese player in Manchester United history.
In November and December 2006 Ronaldo was player of the month of the Premier League, becoming the third player in the history of the tournament to take two awards in a row (after Dennis Bergkamp in 1997 and Robbie Fowler in 1996). On May 5, 2007 Ronaldo scored his fiftieth goal for Manchester United.
In 2008, Ronaldo received Golden Ball, becoming the fourth United player in history and the first in 40 years to be awarded this prestigious award.
On January 12, 2009 Ronaldo won the FIFA World Player of the Year as the best footballer in the world.
In summer 2009, Ronaldo moved to the Real Madrid and became the most expensive player in the history of world football (about 80 million pounds).
On September 30, 2015 Ronaldo scored his 500th and 501st goals in his career.

On July 5, 2004, shortly after the 2004 European Championship, Ronaldo became an officer of the Portuguese Order of Infante Don Enrique.
In 2006 he was awarded the Order of the Immaculate Conception of Vila Viçosa.
On June 17, 2015, astronomers from the University of Lisbon discovered a new galaxy, which was given the name CR7.
On July 22, 2016 the chairman of the regional government of Madeira Miguel Albuquerque said that they decided to rename the International Airport of Madeira into Aeroporto Cristiano Ronaldo.
Ronaldo is one of the biggest benefactors among athletes. In 2007, Cristiano’s mother was operated because of breast cancer at the Central Hospital of Funchal. Since then, Ronaldo has repeatedly made the donation in favor of the Portuguese League Against Cancer (Liga Portuguesa contra o Cancro). In total, Ronaldo has spent more than 10 million euros for charity.

Personal life
He dated Alice Goodwin and Gemma Atkinson.
Since 2010, he had a relationship with Russian supermodel Irina Shayk. In January 2015, the couple broke up.

On June 17, 2010 Ronaldo became a father, his son Cristiano Jr was born from a surrogate mother.

Interesting facts
– Ronaldo does not smoke, and does not have any tattoos on his body, since you cannot donate blood if you have tattoo.
– At the age of 15 he had heart problems. Fortunately, the operation was successful, and a few days later he returned to training.
– A very touching story associated with his childhood friend Albert Fantrau. They played together for Nacional when agents from Sporting came. They could take only one player, the best one. Ronaldo scored the first goal, then Albert did the same, but the third goal impressed everyone. Fantrau had a great chance to score a goal but he gave a pass to Ronaldo, who scored his second goal and went to Sporting. Ronaldo asked Fantrau why he did so, he replied: “You are better than me.” Fantrau’s career ended at that very moment, he is now unemployed, but living in a decent house. The house was bought by Ronaldo.
– In 2014, Forbes recognized him the highest paid player in the world.
– In 2006 he opened fashion boutique named CR7 on the island of Madeira in Portugal. In 2008, a similar boutique was opened in Lisbon.
– In June 2010, he became the fourth player, after Steven Gerrard, Pelé and David Beckham, who has a wax figure at Madame Tussauds in London.
– In December 2007, Ronaldo’s autobiography was published.
– In December 2011, the company RockLive released game Heads Up with Cristiano.
– Ronaldo is one of the fastest athletes in the world. During the season, Ronaldo runs 900 times more than an Olympic sprinter.
– Arnold Schwarzenegger believes Ronaldo is one of the most perfect athletes in the world.

Cristiano Ronaldo – outstanding football player