Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo
Personal information
Full name Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro
Date of birth February 5, 1985 (age 22)
Place of birth Funchal, Madeira, Portugal
Height 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in)
[1]
Nickname
Ronnie, Ron, Rocket Ronaldo,
CR7, Buzzed
Playing position
Right/Left Winger
Forward
Club information
Current club Manchester United
Number 7
Youth clubs
Andorinha
CD Nacional
Sporting CP
Senior clubs
1
Years Club App (Gls)*
1999–2003
2003–
Sporting CP
Manchester United
25 (3)
123 (34)
National team

[2]
Early career
He began kicking a football when he was three, and when he started primary school at age
six, his passion for the sport was obvious. His favourite boyhood team was SL Benfica
even though he would later join their rival, Sporting. He first played for an amateur team,
Andorinha, where his father was the kit man, when he was just eight years old. By 1995, at
just ten years of age, Cristiano Ronaldo's reputation was growing in Portugal. Madeira's top
two teams, CS Marítimo and CD Nacional were both interested in signing him. Marítimo,
the bigger team, missed a crucial meeting with Rui Santos manager of Andorinha, and as a
result Ronaldo signed for Nacional. After a title-winning campaign at Nacional, Ronaldo
went on a three day trial with Sporting who subsequently signed him for an undisclosed
sum.
Sporting Clube de Portugal
Ronaldo joined Sporting's other youth players who trained at the Alcochete, the club's
"football factory," where he received first-class instruction. Sporting realised that Ronaldo
needed more support and arranged for his mother to join him. He made his debut for
Sporting against Moreirense and scored 2 goals. He also featured for Portugal in the UEFA
Under 17 Championships.
His performances at the UEFA Under 17 championship drew him to the attention of the
wider football world. He was first spotted by former Liverpool F.C. manager Gérard
Houllier at the age of 16. However, Liverpool later declined him because he was too young
and needed some time to develop into a top footballer.
[citation needed]
However he came to the
attention of Sir Alex Ferguson in the summer of 2003, when Sporting Clube de Portugal
beat Manchester United 3–1 in the inauguration of the Alvalade XXI stadium in Lisbon.
Ronaldo demonstrated his ability to play on both wings. After the match, United's players
spoke enthusiastically of the young talent that they had just played against, saying they
would rather have him in their team than play against him in the future.
[citation needed]

While playing for Portugal in a friendly against Luxembourg he was given a yellow
card for pushing Jeff Strasser in the throat in retaliation after Strasser tackled him. Felipe
Scolari warned Ronaldo to keep his temper in check during the World Cup.
[6]
On the 29 October 2005 Ronaldo scored Manchester United's 1000th Premiership goal, in a
4–1 loss at the hands of Middlesbrough. He bagged a double double in February, with two
goals at home to Fulham and another pair at Fratton Park, and also scored in the following
Premiership game against Wigan taking his tally to 8 Premiership goals. On 26 February
2006, Ronaldo played in the Carling Cup Final against Wigan in the Millennium Stadium
at Cardiff, and scored a goal - taking his season's tally to 10 goals.
He was named FIFPro Special Young Player of the Year 2005, the only award to be voted
for by fans. He also ranked 20th in the FIFA Player of the Year 2005 standings.
Despite the World Cup incident, Ronaldo remained popular with the majority of
Manchester United fans when he played (and scored) in his first Premiership match since
the 2006 World Cup. Manchester United fans could clearly be heard chanting "there's only
one Ronaldo" at various points in the game, in a 5-1 win over Fulham F.C.
Since then, a BBC report stated that Ronaldo has said he no longer wishes to leave
Manchester United, and is happy to remain at the club.
[citation needed]
He won the Barclays Player of the Month for November 2006. During a match with
Middlesbrough F.C, he was criticised for diving by rival manager Gareth Southgate.
[7]
By December 2006, Ronaldo had become one of United's most influential players, scoring
six goals in 3 league games to bring his overall tally up to 12 goals. He came on at half-
time as a substitute against Wigan Athletic and immediately stamped his influence on the
match with 2 goals in the space of a few minutes. Manchester United manager Sir Alex
Ferguson concedes he would lose his wager with the Portuguese in his current form after
setting a target of 15 goals for the season. The Scot remarked that he was "pleased for him
because he works hard at his game. He's still learning the game. His ability to pass the ball
has helped him this season. His passing has been very good. That just shows he is

2005, he has scored 11 goals in 25 appearances for his country.
Ronaldo scored his first World Cup goal against Iran with a penalty kick.
In the Round of 16, he left Portugal's 1-0 win over Netherlands injured after a high tackle
by Khalid Boulahrouz.
Ronaldo was named the national team captain for the first time in a friendly match against
Brazil on February 6, 2007, a day after his 22nd birthday. This move was in honor of
Carlos Silva, the Portuguese Football Federation president who had died two days before.
Scolari explained, "Mr Silva asked me to make him captain as a gesture. He thought the
English fans would give him a difficult time and this was a response. He is too young to be
captain, but Mr Silva asked me, and now he is no longer with us."
[13]
As of February 6, 2007, he is the joint eighth goalscorer for Portugal of all time, aged only
22.
[citation needed]
World Cup incident
On 8 July 2006, after the sending off of United team-mate Wayne Rooney in the Quarter
Final of the 2006 World Cup between England and Portugal, and after much speculation in
the English media that he had influenced Rooney's red card, Ronaldo told reporters that he
thought he "should get out of Manchester as the circumstances are not right to keep playing
there."
[14]