Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro is a Portuguese football player, striker and captain of the Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr and the national team of Portugal, holding the record for the number of games and goals. On December 27, 2021, Ronaldo was named the best goal scorer of all time at the Globe Soccer Awards. The world's first billionaire in football (2020).

Date of Birth: 05.02.1985

Place of Birth. Born on February 5, 1985 in Funchal, the capital of the autonomous region of Madeira. Cristiano is the youngest son of Maria Dolores dos Santos Aveiro and José Dinis Aveiro.

Professional Career. At the age of eight, he played in an amateur team called Andorinha, where his father provided the financial basis for the players.

In 1995, Ronaldo signed a contract with Club Nacional. After the season, Ronaldo was invited to a trial at Sporting Lisbon, after which the capital club signed a contract with him.

At the age of sixteen, the coach of the English club Liverpool, Gerard Houllier, was interested in the player Ronaldo, but the club refused to sign Ronaldo, arguing that the Portuguese should first develop his football skills. In the summer, Sporting faced Manchester United. After the first half, the players convinced Ferguson of Ronaldo's play style to sign him. In this match, Sporting defeated Manchester United.

After signing a contract worth £11.24 million, Ronaldo became the first Portuguese player in Manchester United's history. Ronaldo made his debut for Manchester United as a substitute in a match against Bolton Wanderers. He justified Ferguson's trust in his very first season, for which he received the Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year Award as the best player of the 2003/2004 season. The award, given by Manchester United fans by voting, was Ronaldo's first personal award in his professional football career.

At Euro 2004, Ronaldo played for the national team of Portugal and scored two goals. He became the youngest player to ever play in a European Championship final, as the striker entered the field at the age of 19 years and 150 days in the final against the Greeks.

After the 2006 World Cup, Ronaldo extended his contract with Ferguson's club, although Real Madrid offered €8 million for the Portuguese. The new five-year contract with ManU also included an increase in Ronaldo's salary to £120,000 per week, making him the highest-paid player at Manchester United.

After the 2006/2007 season, Ronaldo was named the best player of the English Professional Football Association, making him the first Portuguese in history to receive this prestigious award. In the same season, he was named the best young player of the English Professional Football Association, received the award for the best footballer of the year from English football journalists, and fans voted the Portuguese player of the year for the second time in his career, again awarding him the Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year Award.

In the 2007-2008 season, Ronaldo was named the best player of the English Professional Football Association for the second consecutive year. The Portuguese managed to break George Best's record, the only semi-legendary player of Manchester United who scored 32 goals for the club. His 31st goal, scored in Premier League matches, made the Portuguese the top scorer of the 2007/2008 Premier League season. He also became the first midfielder to receive the Golden Shoe. At the end of the season, Ronaldo won the Ballon d'Or. In the 2007/2008 season, Ronaldo was named the best player of the club by Manchester United fans for the third consecutive time, receiving the Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year Award.

On May 21, 2008, Ronaldo won the UEFA Champions League with Manchester United by defeating the English football club Chelsea in the final.

In June 2008, it became known that Ronaldo might be interested in moving to Real Madrid if the club offered him a reasonable salary. Manchester United filed an official complaint with FIFA regarding the attempts by the Madrid club to sign Ronaldo, but the officials refused to impose sanctions on Real Madrid.

On August 28, 2008, Ronaldo was named the best striker and best player of the year 2008 by UEFA.

On January 12, 2009, Ronaldo was named the best player of the year 2008 by FIFA.

On June 26, 2009, Real Madrid and Manchester United agreed on the transfer of the midfielder to the Spanish club. Under the agreement, Ronaldo will play six seasons at Real Madrid, and his salary will be €13 million per year - a world record in football, as previously the highest-paid footballer in the world was the Inter Milan striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who earned €12 million.

In July 2018, he transferred from Real Madrid to Italian Juventus for €112 million, and at the end of his first season, he was crowned Italian champion, won the Italian Supercup, and received awards as Italian Footballer of the Year and the best player of the Serie A season.

On August 27, 2021, the English football club Manchester United confirmed that an agreement was reached with Juventus for the transfer of Cristiano Ronaldo.

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