Cristiano Ronaldo

Sporting CP

After impressing Sporting while playing for their youth teams, Ronaldo was promoted to the first team by manager László Bölöni. On 14 August 2002, at age 17, Ronaldo played his first official match for the first team, in a UEFA Champions League qualifying round against Inter Milan. His Primeira Liga debut occurred a month later against Braga, and on 7 October he scored two goals against Moreirense in Sporting's 3–0 win. After Sporting defeated Manchester United 3–1 in a friendly on 6 August 2003, United manager Alex Ferguson was determined to acquire Ronaldo, describing him as "one of the most exciting young players" he had ever seen.

Manchester United

2003–2007: Development and breakthrough

On 12 August 2003, less than a week after the match that impressed Ferguson, Manchester United signed Ronaldo for £12 million, an England record for a teenager. He was the first Portuguese player to sign for the club. Although he requested the number 28, his number at Sporting, he received the squad number 7 shirt, which had previously been worn by such United players as George Best, Eric Cantona and David Beckham. Wearing the number 7 became an extra source of motivation for Ronaldo. He would later describe Ferguson as his "father in sport" and "one of the most important and influential factors" in his career.

Ronaldo made his debut for United as a substitute in a 4–0 win over Bolton Wanderers in the Premier League on 16 August 2003. His…

At the age of 18, Ronaldo made his debut for Portugal as a substitute against Kazakhstan on 20 August 2003. At UEFA Euro 2004, he scored his first international goal in a 2–1 group stage loss to Greece in his eighth international appearance. Despite Portugal losing to Greece again in the final, Ronaldo made the team of the tournament, with two assists and two goals. In the 2006 FIFA World Cup, at the age of 21 years and 132 days, Ronaldo became the youngest ever goalscorer for Portugal at a World Cup finals. Portugal reached the semi-finals, where Portugal lost to France, with Ronaldo being booed during their defeat, due to an incident that occurred in the quarter-finals against England. FIFA's Technical Study Group overlooked him for the tournament's Best Young Player award and handed it to Germany's Lukas Podolski, citing his behaviour as a factor in the decision. On 6 February 2007, Cristiano captained Portugal for the first time in a friendly against Brazil. He wore the number 7 shirt ahead of UEFA Euro 2008. Despite scoring eight goals in qualifications, the second-highest tally, he scored just one goal in the finals, the second goal of Portugal's 3–1 win in the group stage game against the Czech Republic. Portugal were eliminated in the quarter-finals after a 3–2 loss to Germany. Ronaldo failed to score in 2010 World Cup qualifying. He scored only one goal in the 2010 World Cup finals; despite this, he was named man of the match in all three group stage matches,…

Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro was born on 5 February 1985 in the São Pedro parish of Funchal, the capital of the Portuguese island of Madeira. He grew up in the nearby parish of Santo António. His mother, Maria Dolores dos Santos Viveiros Aveiro, worked as a cook in the hospitality industry and as a cleaning woman. His father, José Dinis Aveiro, was a municipal gardener at the Junta de Freguesia of Santo António and a part-time kit man for the football club Andorinha. Ronaldo's father had served in the Portuguese Army during the Portuguese Colonial War and saw combat in Angola; he was traumatized by his experiences, which led to a lifelong struggle with alcoholism. Ronaldo has Cape Verdean ancestry through his great-grandmother, Isabel da Piedade, who was born on the island of São Vicente, in what was then Portuguese Cape Verde. Ronaldo has an older brother, Hugo, and two older sisters, Elma and Liliana "Kátia" Cátia. His father was an admirer of United States president Ronald Reagan, and named Ronaldo after him. Ronaldo's mother revealed that she had wanted to abort him due to poverty, his father's alcoholism, and having too many children already, but her doctor refused to perform the procedure. Ronaldo grew up in an impoverished Catholic home, sharing a room with all his siblings, and continues to identify as a Catholic in his adulthood. He idolised the Brazilian footballers Ronaldinho and Ronaldo during his youth. As a child, Ronaldo played for Andorinha from 1992…

Family, children, and relationships

Ronaldo's father, José, died of an alcoholism-related liver condition in 2005 at age 52, when Ronaldo was 20. Ronaldo's mother, Dolores Aveiro, became a popular personality in Portugal after Ronaldo achieved fame. She has appeared in commercials for the brands Maggi, MultiOpticas and Pingo Doce. Ronaldo has five children. His first child, a son named Cristiano Ronaldo Jr., was born in 2010 in the United States. Ronaldo Jr. is a youth footballer who has played for Portugal's under-15 team. Ronaldo has full custody of Ronaldo Jr. and has not publicly revealed the identity of his mother due to an agreement with her. Ronaldo is also a father to twins, born in 2017 in the U.S. via surrogacy. Ronaldo was in a relationship with the English actress Gemma Atkinson for four months in 2007, then dated the Russian model Irina Shayk from 2010 to 2015. He began a relationship with Georgina Rodríguez in 2016 after meeting her while she was working as a sales assistant at a Gucci store in Madrid. Rodríguez gave birth to a daughter on 12 November 2017. The couple were expecting twins in 2022; the male twin died during childbirth while the female twin survived. Ronaldo and Rodríguez were married on 11 August 2026 in a civil ceremony in Cascais, Portugal.

Health

Ronaldo has said that he does not drink alcohol, and he received libel damages over a Daily Mirror article that reported him drinking heavily in a nightclub while recovering from an…