Cristiano Ronaldo’s skills were expressed very early on his life; he started kicking the football when he was only three years old. By the age of 10 he was already well known among local clubs. While still very young, one of the top teams of his hometown Madeira, CD Nacional, signed him, Nacional winning seasonal matches while Ronaldo was with them. Sporting was the next team to take this young star under their aegis.
Sporting was a great launching pad for the young Ronaldo, and while he was honing his skills here he played the UEFA under 17 championships for Portugal. The stint for his national team for the UEFA under 17 brought him international recognition. Earlier, Liverpool F.C. was considering signing him on, but because he was too young at 16 to be a professional player, they changed their minds. However, in the summer of 2003, when Sporting beat Manchester United 3-1 in an inaugural match in Lisbon, Alex Ferguson took notice of the young talent.
Manchester United
His performance impressed the other MU players so much that they convinced Ferguson that the team should seriously consider a transfer bid for the young Ronaldo so that he could play for them. This was a crucial moment for MU, as they had just lost David Beckham to Real Madrid, and were looking for a right side midfielder. Finally he was signed on, and upon arrival at Manchester United Ronaldo was given the number 7 shirt, worn by the great legends of George Best, Eric Cantona and Bryan Robson. This gave him added motivation to live up to their standards.
Goals for MU
Ronaldo scored the 1000th Premier League goal for MU, a memorable feat on the 29th Oct, 2005. That season he scored 10 goals for the team, becoming the FIFPro Special Young Player of the Year. He was ranked 20th FIFA Player of the Year that same year as well. He continued to give a fantastic performance each season from there on, and attaining various accolades for his achievements. He scored his 50th goal for MU against rival Manchester City, helping MU to win their Premier League trophy after 4 years. He scored his first hat trick for MU in the 6-0 win against Newcastle United on 12th Jan 2008, at Old Trafford, a much needed push for MU to move to the top of the Premier League charts.
Records made at MU
March 19, 2008 was a memorable day for Ronaldo, as he managed to beat George Best’s 40 year old record of scoring the most goals as a midfielder in a single season. He currently is in the race for the European Golden Shoe, which is awarded to the top goal scorer in Europe.
Spouse / Boyfriend/Girlfriend:
Ronaldo values privacy and seeks to keep his personal life guarded from the glare of media. It was confirmed that Cristiano Ronaldo was in a relationship with Spanish TV presenter Merche Romero, but the relationship ended in 2006. He has dated several models in the past including Jordana Jardel, and Lauren Frain.
Trivia / Gossip:
Cristiano Ronaldo has been involved in many charitable works, including sponsoring a trip for a tsunami victim, the eleven year old Martunis and his father, to watch the World Cup Qualifiers. He and other players of his team contributed money for a house for them in Indonesia. He raised further money in Jakarta, Indonesia, by auctioning off his personal gear for the tsunami victims of Indonesia.
Ronaldo was sent off in a game in a 2005 English Premier League match due to his hasty temper. He was also given a one match ban by UEFA for his ‘one fingered gestures’ to the opponent fans in a UEFA Champions League match in 2005.
On 8th July 2006, in the World Cup match between Portugal and England, there was speculation about Ronaldo’s aggressive influence on the Referee to give
Personal Quotes:
"The No 7 shirt is an honor and a responsibility. I hope it brings me a lot of luck."
"Lots of young players have triumphed at United, so why can't it happen to me? I'm not worried I'm young - it's an incentive to do the best I can."
"I would be very proud if, one day, I'm held in the same esteem as George Best or Beckham. It's what I'm working hard towards."
Trademark: fancy flicks, and stepovers
Estimated income: $18.5m
all overview click here
http://www.allsportspeople.com/soccer/p ... no_Ronaldo
