Cristiano RonaldoCristiano Ronaldo born is a Portuguese footballer who plays as a winger for English Premier League club Manchester United and as the Portuguese national team captain.

Ronaldo began his career as a youth player at C.D. Nacional and his successes with the team led to a move to Sporting Clube de Portugal two seasons afterwards. 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. In 2008, Ronaldo won his first UEFA Champions League title, and was named the final's man of the match. He was named the FIFPro World Player of the Year[2] and the FIFA World Player of the Year.

Early lifeCristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro was born on 5 February 1985 in Madeira, the youngest child of Maria Dolores dos Santos Aveiro and José Dinis Aveiro. His second given name, "Ronaldo," was chosen after then-U.S. president Ronald Reagan, who was his father's favourite actor.[5] He has one older brother, Hugo, and two older sisters, Elma and Liliana Cátia.[1]

Club career

Early career

Ronaldo's favourite boyhood team was Benfica. In 1995, Ronaldo signed with local club Nacional, and, after a title-winning campaign, he went on a three-day trial with Sporting CP.

However, he came to the attention of Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson in the summer of 2003, when Sporting defeated United 3–1 in Lisbon. Ronaldo's performance impressed the Manchester United players, who urged Ferguson to sign him.[11]

Manchester United

Ronaldo became Manchester United's first-ever Portuguese player when he signed for £12.24 million after the 2002–03 season. 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, Eric Cantona, and David Beckham. " 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.

2008–present

On 8 January 2009, Ronaldo was uninjured in a single-car accident in which he totaled his Ferrari in a tunnel near Manchester Airport. A breathalyzer test he gave to police officers at the scene was negative, and he attended training later that morning. Ronaldo

scored his first Champions League goal of the season, and first since the final against Chelsea, in the 2-0 victory On 5 April 2009, Ronaldo scored the first two of United's goals in the 3-2 victory over Aston Villa.

International careerRonaldo earned his first cap for Portugal in a 1-0 victory against Kazakhstan in August 2003. He was called up for Euro 2004, scoring in a 2-1 group stage loss to eventual champions Greece and in a 2-1 semifinal win over the Netherlands. He was named in the team of the tournament despite finishing with only two goals.[51] That same year, he also represented Portugal at the 2004 Summer Olympics.

2006 World Cup

Ronaldo was the second-highest scorer in FIFA World Cup qualification in the European zone with seven goals.

During a quarter-final match against England on 1 July 2006, Ronaldo's United teammate Wayne Rooney was sent off for stomping on Portugal defender Ricardo Carvalho.

Ronaldo was booed during Portugal's semifinal defeat to France, and missed out on the competition's Best Young Player award due to a negative e-mail campaign from England fans.