Cristiano Ronaldo Height, Age, Girlfriend, Children, Family, Biography

Some Lesser Known Facts About Cristiano Ronaldo

• Cristiano Ronaldo is considered the all-time leading male goalscorer in international football. He is known for his exceptional dribbling skills, incredible speed, and his exceptional goalscoring ability. He is often ranked as the best player in the world.

• He was named after Ronald Reagan, the 40th President of the United States, as his mother was a huge fan of Reagan. His father considered Reagan his favourite actor. Ronaldo was born just a month after the actor-turned-politician Reagan had been sworn in for his second term in the White House.

• Ronaldo’s great-grandmother on his father’s side, Isabel da Piedade, was an African woman, who was born in the island of São Vicente.

• In an interview, Ronaldo said that he grew up in poverty and shared a single room with his siblings.

•  In her book “Mother Courage,” Ronaldo’s mother revealed that she once considered terminating her pregnancy with Ronaldo due to poverty and her husband’s issues with alcohol.
  

  A childhood photo of Cristiano Ronaldo with his mother

• In an interview, his mother said that had Ronaldo not become a footballer, he would be a bricklayer (a craftsperson and tradesperson who lays bricks to construct brickwork).

• His mother has become so popular in Portugal that she has featured in advertising campaigns for many popular brands such as Maggi, MultiOpticas, and Pingo Doce.

• On 2 July 1993, he joined the local amateur team Andorinha at the age of eight; his father was the kit man for the team.

• On 2 June 1995, he joined the local club Nacional, where his coach discovered his talent and trained him to become a great football player.

• While playing for Nacional, Ronaldo got the opportunity of a three-day trial with Sporting CP. Later, Ronaldo played for the club’s youth teams from 1997 to 2001.
  

  Cristiano Ronaldo during the initial years of his football career

• He was expelled from the school at the age of 14 after he threw a chair at a teacher in 1999.

• When he was 15 years old, he was diagnosed with a heart condition, tachycardia, which causes heart racing even when resting. Due to this condition, there was a possibility of premature retirement. He had to undergo heart surgery to save his career.

• At the age of 16, Laszlo Boloni, his first-team manager at Sporting, impressed by his dribbling and promoted him. Ronaldo later played for the club’s under-16, under-17, under-18, the B team, and the first team, becoming the first player to play for them in a single season.
  

  Laszlo Boloni, the coach who gave Cristiano Ronaldo his pro debut

• On 14 August 2002, he played his first official match for Sporting CP’s senior team at the age of 17. It was a UEFA Champions League qualifying round against Inter Milan.

• On 7 October 2002, Ronaldo made his debut in the Primeira Liga in which he scored two goals for Sporting in a 3-0 win over Moreirenes.

• In 2003, Irish footballer George Best praised Ronaldo and said,
  

  There have been a few players described as ‘the new George Best’ over the years, but this is the first time it’s been a compliment to me.”

  

  George Best (left) and Cristiano Ronaldo

• He became Manchester United’s first-ever Portuguese player when he signed during the 2003-2004 season and the most expensive player (with a transfer fee of 12.24 million euros) in English Soccer history.

• For Manchester United, Ronaldo scored his first goal with a free-kick.

• When he moved to Manchester United from Sporting, he requested jersey number 28; however, Sir Alex Ferguson suggested he should wear jersey number 7 (previously worn by legends like David Beckham, Eric Cantona, and George Best). Ronaldo says,
  

  I was petrified as I knew Beckham wore that shirt. But I took on the challenge and since then it has been my lucky number. I have won everything in football with that shirt.”

• For Alex Ferguson (Ronaldo’s manager in England), Ronaldo once said,
  

  He’s been my father in sport.”

  

  Cristiano Ronaldo with Alex Ferguson

• On 20 August 2003, he debuted for Portugal’s national team.

• His first international goal was in Euro 2004. While playing for Portugal in the UEFA Euro, he scored a goal in the tournament opener.

• He played for Portugal in the 2004 Summer Olympics; however, Portugal was eliminated in the group stage.

• On 2 September 2005, his father died of a liver condition caused by his alcoholism. Ronaldo often cites this reason for avoiding alcoholic beverages.
  

  Cristiano Ronaldo with his father

• He sued the Daily Mirror for an article in which it was reported that Ronaldo drank heavily in a nightclub while recovering from an injury in July 2008; Ronaldo received libel damages against the story.

• On 7 February 2007, he became the captain of Portugal for the first time in a friendly match against Brazil; he was 22 years old at the time.

• On 5 October 2007, his autobiography “Moments” was released.
  

  Cristiano Ronaldo’s autobiography, moments

• On 12 January 2008, Ronaldo scored his first hat-trick for Manchester United against Newcastle United.

• on 7 July 2008, he underwent ankle surgery and remained out of action for 10 weeks.

• When he scored a 40-yard strike goal against Porto in 2009, he called it the “best goal he had ever scored.”

• On 10 May 2009, he scored his final goal for Manchester United with a free-kick.

• In the same year, Ronaldo joined Real Madrid and spent nine seasons with the club during which he won four Ballon d’Or awards, four Champions League titles, two La Liga titles, and numerous other titles and awards.

• On 2 June 2010, he became the fourth football player after Steven Gerrard, Pele, and David Beckham to be represented as a waxwork. This waxwork was presented at the Madrid Wax Museum in 2013.
  

  Cristiano Ronaldo’s waxwork at the Madrid Wax Museum

• On 3 July 2010, Ronaldo announced that he had become a father but never revealed the identity of his son’s mother.

• While playing for Real Madrid against Manchester United for the first time, he did not celebrate scoring as a mark of respect against his former club.

• In September 2011, a television film titled Ronaldo: Tested to the Limit was released.
  

  A poster of the television film Ronaldo Tested to the Limit

• In December 2011, RockLive, an American online social network and games developer, launched an iPhone game, Heads Up with Cristiano.

• On 6 September 2013, he scored his first international hat-trick against Northern Ireland.

• In December 2013, Ronaldo launched Viva Ronaldo, a dedicated social networking website and app.

• On 15 December 2013, a museum, CR7, dedicated to his football career was opened in his hometown of Funchal, Portugal.
  

  CR7 museum and hotel in Funchal, Madeira

• On 6 January 2014, he scored his 400th career goal.

• On 20 January 2014, he was named Grand Officer of the Order of Prince Henry.

• On 5 March 2014, he became Portugal’s all-time top scorer after scoring two goals against Cameroon.
• In June 2014, a documentary titled Cristiano Ronaldo: The World at His Feet was released via Vimeo. The documentary was narrated by actor Benedict Cumberbatch.
  

  Cristiano Ronaldo The World at His Feet

• In 2015, the University of British Columbia Okanagan introduced a sociology class on Ronaldo, which was included in their fourth-year modules. Luis LM Aguiar was the associate professor of sociology at the time who wanted to explore various aspects of Ronaldo’s life through the lens of sociology.

• On 17 October 2015, he became Real Madrid’s all-time leading goalscorer in the club’s 3-0 victory over Levante at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium.

• On 9 November 2015, a documentary titled “Ronaldo” directed by Anthony Wonke premiered in London.
  

  A poster of the documentary film Ronaldo

• In the same year, a galaxy, Cosmos Redshift 7 Galaxy or CR7 Galaxy, was named after him.

• In 2016, Cristiano Ronaldo met Georgina at the Gucci store in Madrid, where she was working as a shop assistant.

• In 2017, Madeira International Airport Cristiano Ronaldo was named after him.
  

  Madeira International Airport is named after Cristiano Ronaldo

• On 8 November 2016, Cristiano Ronaldo signed a “lifetime” endorsement deal with Nike.

• In 2018, Canadian musician Drake mentioned Ronaldo’s name in the song Blue Tint from his album Scorpion. One of the lines of the song goes,
  

  Way this sh*t set up I live like Ronaldo, but I never been in Madrid.”

• On 10 July 2018, he left Real Madrid and joined Juventus on a four-year contract with a reported $117 million transfer fee.

• On 20 April 2019, after Juventus defeated Fiorentina 2-1 to claim the Italian championship Serie A title, Ronaldo became the first player ever to win titles in the Premier League (with Manchester United), La Liga (with Real Madrid), and Serie A (with Juventus).

• In 2020, he became the first soccer player billionaire after he surpassed $1 billion in career earnings.

• In January 2020, Cristiano Ronaldo became the most-followed athlete on Instagram; the followers crossed the 200 million mark.

• On 13 October 2020, he was tested positive for coronavirus.

• On 31 August 2021, he left Juventus and joined Manchester United for the second time.

• In September 2021, with a speed of 32.51 km/h, Ronaldo became the fastest football player, in any game, in a game against West Ham.

36-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo clocked a speed of 32.51 km/h against West Ham, the fastest of any player in the match 😎⚡ pic.twitter.com/DrJGgHRWns

— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) September 21, 2021

• On 12 October 2021, he scored his tenth international hat-trick, breaking the record previously set by Sven Rydell.

• On 22 November 2022, after a week he gave an explosive TV interview about his frustrations at Manchester United, the club announced that Ronaldo was leaving the club with immediate effect.

• When he scores a goal, he celebrates it with a “storming jump” and “turn”, before “landing in spread-eagled fashion.” He also exclaims “Sí” (Spanish and Italian for “yes”) after scoring a goal. The media has dubbed this trademark celebration as “Siu.”
  
  

• The media often quotes about his rivalry with Lionel Messi, arguing who is the best player in modern football or the history of the game. The media often portrays Ronaldo as an arrogant and theatrical showoff and Messi as a shy, humble character.

• He is very particular about his diet and eats six small meals a day, or one every three to four hours, and avoids alcohol and carbonated drinks. He says,
  

  I eat a high protein diet, with lots of wholegrain carbs, fruit and vegetables, and avoid sugary foods.”

• He is known for his charity work and has served as an ambassador for various organizations including Save the Children, UNICEF, and World Vision. During the Covid-19 pandemic, he donated $1.08 million to three hospitals in Portugal.

• He once paid for the brain surgery of a 10-month-old boy. Among his other charity works are raising money for survivors of the 2004 Indonesian tsunami and paying for treatment for a 9-year-old cancer patient.

• In January 2015, Cristiano Ronaldo became the most charitable sportsperson in the world after he donated nearly $8 million to help the global charity Save the Children carry out its earthquake-relief efforts in Nepal.

• Ronaldo doesn’t have any tattoos as he wants to be free to give blood whenever he can. He once donated blood to the son of Portuguese teammate Carlos Martins who was diagnosed with a very rare blood disease.

• Cristiano Ronaldo is the only player to win four European Golden Shoe awards.

• He often advocates for drinking water. On 14 June 2021, the popular soft drink company Coca-Cola’s share price dropped by 1.6% after Cristiano Ronaldo removed two Coca-Cola bottles during a press conference at the European Championship; the event coincided with a $4bn fall in the share price of Coca-Cola.

• On 30 December 2022, he signed a contract with the Saudi club Al Nassr. Reportedly, he signed the club for an annual salary of £177m (Rs. 1,770 crore), making him the highest-paid footballer in the history of the game. ^[9]BBC
  

  Cristiano Ronaldo after joining the Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr

• In January 2024, Ronaldo gifted a watch to his girlfriend Georgina Rodriguez on her 30th birthday which took rounds on the internet. The watch was said to be worth over USD 100,000, which is approximately Rs. 83 lakh.
  

  The watch gifted by Cristiano Ronaldo to Georgina Rodriguez

• His shirts have always been in high demand among his fans. In 2008, his number 7 Manchester United shirt was the best-selling Premier League sports product. In 2018, his number 7 Juventus shirts generated $62.4 million in one day within 24 hours of its release.

• As a businessman, Cristiano Ronaldo runs a line of CR7 branded products that include clothing, footwear, and fragrance. he also owns a hotel, a museum, and a number of restaurants in Madeira, Portugal.
  

  Cristiano Ronaldo with his CR7 eyewear brand