Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro (born 5 February 1985 in Funchal, Madeira) is a Portuguese footballer who plays for Premier League club Manchester United and the Portuguese national team. With Manchester United, Ronaldo plays primarily as a right winger. He has also been used both in a central attacking role and as a second striker.

A winner of the 2007 English PFA Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year awards, and third in the 2007 World Player of the Year award, Ronaldo is widely regarded as one of the most talented footballers of his generation. Ronaldo also won the 2008 English PFA Player of the Year and FWA Footballer of the Year, giving him back to back victories for both awards. Johan Cruyff said in an April 2, 2008 interview, "Ronaldo is better than George Best and Denis Law, who were two brilliant and great players in the history of United."


Early career

He began kicking a football when he was three, and when he started primary school at age six, his passion for the sport was obvious. His favourite boyhood team was SL Benfica even though he would later join their rival, Sporting. By 1995, at just ten years of age, Cristiano Ronaldo's reputation was growing in Portugal. After a title-winning campaign at Nacional, Ronaldo went on a three day trial with Sporting who subsequently signed him for an undisclosed sum.

Sporting Clube de Portugal

Ronaldo joined Sporting's other youth players who trained at the Alcochete, the club's "football factory," where he received first-class instruction. Ronaldo eventually went on to become the only player in Sporting’s history to play for the Under-16, Under-17, Under-18, B team and first-team within a season. He scored two goals on his Sporting debut against Moreirense. His performances at the UEFA Under 17 championship drew him to the attention of the wider football world. He came to the attention of Sir Alex Ferguson in the summer of 2003, when Sporting beat Manchester United 3-1 in the inauguration of the Alvalade XXI stadium in Lisbon.

Manchester United

Ferguson decided that he wanted Ronaldo for his team, who were in the market for a right-sided midfielder with the departure of David Beckham to Real Madrid; Ronaldo was signed for a fee of £12.24 million, becoming the club's first ever Portuguese player. Ronaldo was handed the number 7 shirt on his arrival, a shirt number that has belonged to some of the greatest Manchester United legends, such as George Best, Bryan Robson, Eric Cantona and David Beckham.

Ronaldo made his debut for Manchester United as a 60th minute substitute against Bolton Wanderers at Old Trafford, a 4-0 Manchester United win. On 29 October 2005, Ronaldo scored Manchester United's 1000th Premier League goal, in a 4-1 loss at the hands of Middlesbrough. On 26 February 2006, Ronaldo played in the Carling Cup Final against Wigan in the Millennium Stadium at Cardiff, and scored a goal - taking his season's tally to 10 goals. He was named FIFPro Special Young Player of the Year 2005. He received the same accolade the following year in 2006.

Despite the World Cup incident, Ronaldo remained popular with the Manchester United. By December 2006, Ronaldo had become one of United's most influential players, scoring six goals in three league games to bring his overall tally up to 12 goals. Sir Alex Ferguson concedes he would lose his wager with the Portuguese in his current form after setting a target of 15 goals for the season. In December, he was awarded the Barclays Player of the Month Award for the second successive month, becoming the third ever player in the Premier League to do so (after Arsenal's Dennis Bergkamp in 1997 and Robbie Fowler in 1996). Ronaldo scored his 50th goal for Manchester United in the game against arch-rivals Manchester City which turned out to be the decisive goal which helped Manchester United claim the Premier League title for the first time in 4 years.

As the end of each season approached, particularly in 2006 and 2007, rumours frequently originating from the board of Real Madrid who were reported to be willing to pay an unprecedented €80 million (£54 million) for Ronaldo. However, Ronaldo confirmed that they would be negotiating an extension to his current contract. On 13 April 2007, Ronaldo signed a five-year, £120,000-a-week deal with United, making him the highest-paid player in United's history.

During the 2006-07 season, Ronaldo won the PFA Players' Player of the Year and PFA Young Player of the Year awards. On 24 April 2007, Ronaldo completed the treble by winning the PFA Fans' Player of the Year, an award which is given by winning the most votes from fans all over the United Kingdom. In addition, he was awarded the 2007 Portuguese Footballer of the Year, and at the beginning of May 2007 Ronaldo was also awarded the Football Writers' Association Award. He also received two awards from the club itself, the Player of the Year award, and the Fans' Player of the Year award.

On December 17 2007, it was officially announced that Ronaldo came in third in the FIFA World Player of the Year awards, finishing behind Kaká and Lionel Messi. On May 11, 2008, Ronaldo scored from the penalty spot against Wigan Athletic in the 33rd minute, taking Ronaldo's season tally to 41 goals, 31 of those in the Premier League. Ronaldo then scored Manchester United's only goal in normal time in the 2008 UEFA Champions League Final, to bring his season tally to 42 goals, falling short of Ruud Van Nistelrooy's tally of 44 goals in a season which he did back in 2002/2003, by just 2 goals. Ronaldo currently leads the race for the European Golden Shoe, the award for the European top goal scorer, with an 8-point lead ahead of second-placed Dani Güiza.

Share This Blog Post, Will U?

I'm reading: Cristiano Ronaldo