Top 10 Football Player Ronaldo Facts

Football player Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro is widely considered to be one of the best football players of all time. Not only did he score some of the most stunning goals in the sport’s history, but he also helped Portugal win their first-ever international trophy and won multiple FIFA Player of the Year awards himself—four of them, in fact! In honour of the great man’s accomplishments, here are 10 fascinating facts about this legendary footballer.

1) He was born in Sao Paulo, Brazil

One of his parents was a maid and cook, while his dad was a professional footballer. You’ve probably heard of him! His name is Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro and he was born on February 5, 1985. He was actually named after Ronald Reagan, who had been US President when he was born. People call him by many nicknames; Ronnie being one of them.

2) His full name is Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro

His full name is Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro. This soccer player was born on February 5, 1985, in Funchal, Madeira. His parents are Nelio Soares and Maria Dolores dos Santos Aveiro. He has a brother named Hugo and a sister named Elma. Although he has had many nicknames over his career as a footballer, his full name is more convenient for English-speaking fans because that’s how he signs it on jerseys and other memorabilia items.

3) He is nicknamed CR7

Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro, more commonly known as Cristiano Ronaldo, is a professional footballer. Born in Portugal, he plays for Sporting CP and has been capped by both his club and country. Along with Lionel Messi, Cristiano is one of only two players to have scored 100 goals or more in European competitions. He has been awarded with such accolades as FIFA World Player of The Year and has previously captained Portugal to their first-ever international tournament wins at Euro 2004.

4) He began his career at a very young age

When he was just 17 years old, Real Madrid signed Cristiano Ronaldo. In fact, only days after joining, he made his first appearance in a La Liga match against Albacete in April 2003. He’s since gone on to have a very successful career in Spain, scoring over 300 goals with close to 700 appearances. He’s also picked up some personal awards during his time at Real Madrid and Manchester United including: UEFA Champions League Top Scorer Award (2007-2008 season), FIFA Ballon d'Or (2008 and 2013) and IFFHS World's Best Playmaker Award (2011). To learn more about his football career, continue reading for ten interesting facts about him!

5) His hairline made him look like an alien according to his school teachers

Yes, his haircut may have been a deal breaker for some of you, but even as a child he was warned by teachers that he might be mistaken for an extra-terrestrial. He still didn’t give it up though – in fact it was his favourite haircut back then. Oh well, at least he has reinvented himself as a much more handsome creature...

6) In 2009 he became Manchester United’s most expensive player ever. The transfer fee was around £80 million.

He started his career with Portuguese team, Sporting CP, and in 2003 signed for Manchester United. In his first season he scored 12 goals from a total of 34 appearances and was nominated for PFA Young Player of The Year. His first trophy at United was winning Premier League 2004-05 title along with FWA’s Young Player of The Year award and runner up in PFA Players’ player of The Year. He went on to win three consecutive Premier League titles with Manchester United (2006-2007, 2007-2008 and 2008-2009)

7) In 2017-2018 season, he scored 17 goals out of 22 games, making him the top scorer in all European top leagues.

Two seasons ago, in 2016-2017 season, he scored 40 goals out of 46 games. He was top scorer in both Liga Champions and La Liga, scoring 15 goals in each.: His goal scoring abilities and effectiveness make him one of a kind. He’s won FIFA World Cup twice with his country Portugal, once in 2018 where he was awarded Man of The Match and Best Forward for most times.: He is among Top 5 Players of all time to play professional football. His jersey number is 7 for his club Real Madrid and for Portugal it’s 9.: All players are eligible to play for their respective country provided they meet specific criteria.

8) He is one of the most popular sports personalities on social media platforms today.

Since joining Facebook in 2009, he has amassed over 75 million likes on his Facebook page. That makes him one of the most popular athletes among social media users and gives him a huge potential for endorsement deals. He is also active on Twitter, where he has around 20 million followers. Some of his other notable social media accounts include 16 million followers on Instagram and millions more on YouTube and Google+. These combined followings are hard to ignore by brands looking to tap into football’s popularity. For example, he promoted nutritional supplement brand Herbalife after taking a stake in it through his investment firm.

9) Aged 18, he already earned his first major contract with Sporting CP. Later, the club sold him to Manchester United for a sum of £12 million.

He plays for Portugal and has become a crucial part of their national team. He plays as a forward for Real Madrid and had been with them since 2009.: His two favorite teams are Manchester United and Barcelona, which he considers his biggest rivals. He is married to Irina Shayak and has a child, named Cristiano Jr.: As per Forbes magazine’s list in 2014, he is one of highest paid athletes in the world.: In 2013 he won his second Ballon d’Or award, making him second only to Lionel Messi who won it four times in succession. CR7 was awarded FIFA's World player of 2012.: The Portuguese is most famous for scoring free-kicks.

10) The year 2003 proved to be crucial for Cristiano’s future as it brought him two huge awards – the Golden Boy Award and Ballon d’Or, both of which were given to talented players under the age of 21 who showed great potential.

The Golden Boy Award is given to promising young players by Italian sports paper Tuttosport and has previously been won by such football stars as Lionel Messi, Wayne Rooney, and Nani. The award also recognises notable achievements in other sports, including tennis (Federer) and basketball (Kobe Bryant). Cristiano was given it for his immense talent and dazzling skills. Yet at that time most of his club-mates were older than him, which brought him some mockery – not everyone believed that a 19-year-old boy could play so well.: One of the greatest acknowledgements he received was when he became Manchester United’s highest-paid player after signing a new five-year contract in late 2007.