Here are some facts about Cristiano Ronaldo, the Portuguese footballer (soccer player).
- Cristiano Ronaldo was born in Funchal, Portugal, on 5th February 1985.
- He is 6′ 1″ tall (1.86 metres).
- His full name is Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro.
- He has played for several different football clubs, including Andorinha (Portugal), Nacional (Portugal), Sporting CP (Portugal), Manchester United (England), Real Madrid (Spain), and Juventus (Italy).
- Real Madrid paid Manchester United £80 million for Ronaldo in 2009.
- Ronlado scored a goal in each of his first four La Liga games. He is the only person to have done this.
- In 2010-11 season, he became the first player to score more than 40 La Liga goals in one season. He repeated this feat in the 2011-12 season by scoring 46 league goals, and 60 in all competitions.
- From 2009-2013, Ronaldo averaged more than 1 goal per game, making him one of the most prolific goalscorers to ever play the game.
- Ronaldo made his international debut in 2003, and he scored his first goal for Portugal in 2004 against Greece. He has since scored more than 100 goals for his country, and in 2021 he broke the international goalscoring record.
- Ronaldo was reluctant to wear the number 7 shirt when he joined Manchester United because it had previously been worn by great players such as George Best, Eric Cantona, and David Beckham. Alex Ferguson convinced him to make the number his own. Ronaldo also wore the number 7 shirt for Real Madrid and Portugal.
- Ronaldo has won many individual and team honours. He is often described as an all-time great player and, had he not been playing in the same era as Lionel Messi, he would be a unanimous choice of the best player of his generation.
- Ronaldo is a brilliant dribbler, is incredibly fast and he has great reactions and coordination. He doesn’t have any weaknesses in terms of his forward play. He can score with both feet, is a very good header of the ball.
- In 2021, in a game against Luxembourg, Ronaldo scored his tenth international hat-trick.
- Ronaldo has played in five European Championship tournaments – he is the only player to have done this.
- He has won more than 30 club trophies, including seven league titles and five Champions League trophies.
- Ronaldo has scored more than 800 goals in his professional career.
- In March 2021, Ronaldo scored his 20th goal of the season for Juventus. This meant that he had scored at least 20 goals in a season for the last 12 consecutive seasons.
- In August 2021, Ronaldo returned to Manchester United from Juventus.
- Ronaldo has scored more than 130 goals in the Champions League during his career.
- Ronaldo’s son, Cris, joined the Manchester United academy at the age of 11, playing alongside Wayne Rooney‘s son, Kai.
- Ronaldo does not drink any alcohol.
- When he was growing up he had two nicknames: Little Bee (because of his speed) and Cry Baby.
- Ronaldo was the first Portuguese player to play for Manchester United.
- In 2001, a one-of-a-kind Ronaldo NFT football trading card (minted by the soccer game company Sorare) sold at a Bonhams auction for more than $400,000.
- A mint condition Ronaldo Panini rookie sticker from 2002-2003 sold at auction in the US for $80,000.
Last updated: June 2022
