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Cristiano Ronaldo
Scoring prolifically for Manchester United, Real Madrid and Portugal.
First Ballon d’Or · European champion
- Born
- 5 February 1985
- Birthplace
- Funchal, Portugal
More people
Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo is a Portuguese footballer who developed from a skilful winger into a prolific goalscorer. His career spans major clubs in England, Spain and Italy, alongside a long international career with Portugal.
Early life
Madeira childhood
Grew up in Funchal and played for local youth clubs.
Sporting academy
Moved to Lisbon as a boy to train with Sporting CP.
Career
- 2002–2003
First-team start
Broke into Sporting’s senior side before joining Manchester United.
- 2003–2009
Manchester United
Developed into a leading attacker and won his first Champions League.
- 2009–2018
Real Madrid
Became the club’s leading scorer and won four Champions League titles there.
- 2018–2023
Further club moves
Played for Juventus, returned to Manchester United and then joined Al-Nassr.
Achievements
First Ballon d’Or
Won the award after a league and Champions League-winning season.
European champion
Captained Portugal during the country’s first European Championship victory.
Three Champions Leagues
Helped Real Madrid win the competition in three consecutive seasons.
Beyond football
Family
Named after Ronald Reagan, according to accounts of his father’s admiration for the actor and politician.
Madeira recognition
His home island named its airport after him in 2017.
Sources & photo credit
Life and career ↗Institutional or specialist reference ↗Photo: Bryan Berlin. CC BY-SA 4.0 · Original image. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.
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