60 Interesting Fun Facts about Footballer Cristiano Ronaldo

What are some of the interesting fun facts about footballer Cristiano Ronaldo? Despite being one of the best footballers of all time, Cristiano Ronaldo has frequently been a contentious and polarizing character off the field despite his brilliance on it. Ronaldo's enormous potential was obvious from the start. But more than that, he always had only one thing in mind. 

He moved to the Portuguese mainland at the age of twelve in order to pursue his ambition of being the greatest football player in the world, leaving his modest upbringing on the island of Madeira behind. The top teams in Europe started knocking on his door quickly, but Manchester United ultimately won the race to recruit him.

Ronaldo improved as a player and athlete under Sir Alex Ferguson's guidance, winning three league championships, a Champions League, and solidifying his place in United history in the process. Then, when he moved to Real Madrid for a world record sum, he became the biggest galactico of them all. His tenure at the club has frequently been overshadowed by his passionate rivalry with Barcelona and Lionel Messi, despite only winning one La Liga championship and one Champions League. 

He has also struggled to get along with coaches, players, and supporters. The ultimate narrative of what shaped Ronaldo into the player and person he is now is provided by famous football journalist and authority on the Spanish game, Guillem Balague.

Image: planetsport.com

 

Interesting Fun Facts about Footballer Cristiano Ronaldo

1. Cristiano Ronaldo Dos Santos Aveiro is really his full name.
2. On the Portuguese island of Madeira, he was born on February 5th, 1985.
3. Of his siblings, Cristiano Ronaldo is the youngest.
4. He was born into poverty and grew up without any toys. His mother was a chef, while his father worked as a kit man at a neighborhood club.
5. Ronaldo's parents agreed that he should pursue a career in sports when he was just 10 years old. He was allowed to work as a kit man and a gardener at a youth club by his father.
6. From 1992 to 1995, Ronaldo played for the amateur team Andorinha before switching to Nacional for the next two years.
7. At the age of 16, Ronaldo joined Sporting's first squad after impressing his boss with his dribbling abilities.
8. He made history by playing for all four of the club's youth teams—under-16, under-17, and under-18—as well as the B and first teams—in the same season.
9. Ronaldo performed so well during a friendly match against Manchester United that Alex Ferguson went into the director's room at halftime and pleaded with Martin Edwards to sign him right away. All of his first-team players, he said in his autobiography, wanted Ronaldo to represent Manchester United.
10. At Manchester United, Ronaldo wore the renowned Number 7 jersey, which had previously been worn by David Beckham, George Best, and Eric Cantona.
11. Cristiano initially favored the number 28 jersey, but he eventually donned the number 7 jersey at Alex Ferguson's urging. He is still regarded as the greatest United player to wear this illustrious jersey.
12. The first ever Portuguese player for Manchester United was Cristiano Ronaldo.
13. When Ronaldo made his Premier League debut at Old Trafford, the fans applauded him standing up. He replaced Nicky Butt at the 60-second mark. It was "unquestionably the most thrilling premiere," according to George Best, who praised it.
14. At the age of 18, Cristiano received his first senior cap on August 20, 2003, against Kazakhstan.
15. On October 29, 2005, Ronaldo scored Manchester United's 1000th Premier League goal.
16. Ruud van Nilsterooy, who was referring to assistant manager Carlos Queiroz, instructed Ronaldo to "go sobbing to your daddy" after their physical altercation. Given that Ronaldo's father had recently passed away from liver disease, it was extra cruel.
17. Ronaldo's one-on-one training sessions with Rene Meulensteen, who taught him to be unpredictable, enhance his teamwork, call for the ball, and capitalize on goal-scoring opportunities rather than waiting for the chance to score the aesthetically pleasing goals that have become his signature, played a significant role in his incredible success as a player.
18. On February 6, 2007, Cristiano led Portugal in a match against Brazil just one day after turning 22.
19. During the 2006–2007 season, Ronaldo scored his first Champions League goal during the quarterfinal round.
20. The 2007–08 season, which was Ronaldo's most productive year while playing in England, saw him score 42 goals.
21. He scored his first goal of the 2007–08 season against Sporting, his previous team.
22. On March 19, Ronaldo led Manchester United for the first time, scoring both goals that gave his team the victory. His second goal gave him 33 for the year, surpassing George Best's 32 goals in the 1967–68 season to create a new club record for the most goals a midfielder has scored in a single season.
23. Ronaldo's performances helped his club win both the UEFA Champions League and the Premier League at the end of the season.
24. Cristiano Ronaldo was named the UEFA Club Footballer of the Year for leading the Champions League in scoring. He also won the PFA Players' Player of the Year honor and the FWA Footballer of the Year honor for the second straight year.
25. The Ballon d'Or was won by Cristiano at the end of 2009, making him the first United player since George Best to do so. Additionally, he became the first member of the Premier League to ever be crowned FIFA World Player of the Year.
26. Ronaldo moved to Real Madrid for a then-record-breaking €94 million transfer price.
27. Ronaldo's introduction at the Santiago Bernabéu stadium drew at least 80,000 spectators, breaking the previous record of 75,000 set by Diego Maradona's welcome at Napoli 25 years prior.
28. Ronaldo became the first Madrid player to score in each of his first four league games.
29. Cristiano earned his first championship in Spain by scoring the game-winning goal in the 103rd minute of the el-Clasico Copa del Rey final.
30. In his second season, Ronaldo became the first player to ever score 40 goals in La Liga. He won the Pichichi award for scoring the most goals in La Liga.
31. Ronaldo helped Real Madrid win the 2011–12 La Liga championship with a league-high 100 points.
32. Ronaldo broke Ferenc Puskas' old record by scoring his 100th League goal in just 92 games in his third season.
33. He became the first player in La Liga history to score in a single season against each of the league's 19 opponents thanks to his goal against Mallorca.
34. On May 8, 2013, Cristiano scored his 200th goal for Real Madrid, surpassing the milestone in just 197 appearances.
35. For the second time in his career, Ronaldo led the Champions League in goals scored with 12 in the 2012–13 season.
36. Due to his outstanding efforts, Cristiano was included in the 2012 UEFA Euro squad of the tournament.
37. On September 6, 2013, Cristiano defeated Northern Ireland and recorded his first hat trick in international competition.
38. At the conclusion of the 2013–14 season, when he won the La Decima (Madrid's 10th Champions League trophy) and the Copa del Rey trophy, Cristiano had his greatest team victory in Spain.
39. Cristiano won his fourth Champions League championship as Real Madrid defeated Juventus in the Duo-Decima.
40. At the conclusion of 2016, Cristiano received his fourth Ballon d'Or and the first Best FIFA Men's Player honor.
41. On February 27, 2017, Cristiano defeated Hugo Sanchez to become La Liga's most consistent penalty-kick scorer.
42. The second leg of the UEFA Champions League Quarter-Final saw Cristiano score a flawless hat-trick, making him the only player to ever accomplish this feat.
43. He recorded 50+ goals in all competitions for the sixth straight season.
44. During the UEFA Euro 2016, Cristiano passed Luis Figo to become the player with the most caps for his nation.
45. Cristiano made history by appearing in three UEFA Euro semi-finals at the competition's semi-final.
46. While playing for Real Madrid, Cristiano increased his total of hat tricks to 31, breaking Di Stefano's previous mark of 28.
47. As of the start of the 2015–16 season, Ronaldo was Real Madrid's all-time leading scorer in the league and later in all competitions.
48. Ronaldo also broke Raul's record for most goals scored in the Champions League and surpassed Lionel Messi's total of 77 goals.
49. Cristiano became the first Portuguese player to score in three World Cups with his goal against Ghana, which was also his 50th international goal.
50. On January 6, 2013, against Real Sociedad, Cristiano led Real Madrid for the first time as their captain.
51. Cristiano Ronaldo assisted Real Madrid in winning the Spanish league championship in 2012, which was his first league championship with the team. In all competitions, he scored 60 goals during the season, helping Real Madrid cruise to the championship with 100 points. The season after, he scored a total of 55 goals in all competitions.
    
52. On January 30, 2013, Ronaldo became the first player from a country other than Spain to serve as El Clasico captain.
53. Cristiano Ronaldo joined the Madeira, Portugal-based team "Nacional" in 1995, and after putting up a strong performance there, he later cleared a trial to join "Sporting CP," one of the top clubs in Portugal.
54. Cristiano Ronaldo struggled throughout the 2014 World Cup, scoring just one goal as Portugal was eliminated in the first round. The most of any Portuguese player, he has scored 50 goals for Portugal in his career. Ronaldo was in excellent form in the league seasons that began that year, scoring 61 goals overall and became the player to reach the 200-goal mark in the Spanish league the quickest. He completed it after 178 games.
55. He guided Portugal to victory while serving as their captain at the 2016 Euro Cup. He was hurt in the final versus France and taken off the field by stretchers after just 25 minutes, but Portugal went on to win the game. Ronaldo received the Silver Boot because he and another player scored a total of two goals throughout the competition.
56. Cristiano Ronaldo set a record for the oldest player to ever score a hat-trick in a World Cup game during the 2018 tournament. Against Spain, he scored the hat-trick. Portugal advanced to the round of 16, but was eliminated after losing to Uruguay 2-1. 
57. With 89 goals in his career to date, Cristiano Ronaldo holds the record for most goals scored in the UEFA Champions League.
58. In 2016 and 2017, Forbes magazine listed him as the highest-paid athlete in the world.
59. Ronaldo signed a €17 million deal at the beginning of the 2013–14 season, making him the most paid player in sport.
60. Cristiano has his greatest year-end goal total to date with 69 goals in 59 games at the end of 2013. For these accomplishments, he received his second Ballon d'Or.
    






Image: nypost.com

In 2003, Cristiano Ronaldo faced off against Manchester United in a UEFA Champions League match. Sir Alex Ferguson, the English club's manager, was thrilled by his performance and signed him the next year. Ronaldo helped Manchester United win the FA Cup in his first season there by scoring three league goals and one in the FA Cup final. Ronaldo contributed two goals to Portugal's runner-up finish in the European Championships one year after joining Manchester United.

During his six years with Manchester United, Cristiano Ronaldo developed into one of the team's most crucial players. During that period, the club won three consecutive league championships and the UEFA Champions League in 2008, making it one of the most successful in Europe. In 196 league games, Ronaldo scored 84 goals for the team, making him one of the top players in the world.

Cristiano Ronaldo attained the title of most expensive player in the world in 2009 after Real Madrid, of Spain, paid Manchester United £80 million to acquire him. His first season saw him score 33 goals. He set a league record the next year by finishing the Spanish league campaign with 40 goals, which enabled Real Madrid to win the Copa del Rey.

Portugal was led by Cristiano Ronaldo in the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, although he had a poor tournament, scoring just one goal, and Portugal was eliminated by Spain in the round of 16. He served as the team's major source of motivation in 2012, when he scored three goals to propel Portugal to the semifinal of the European Championships. However, Portugal was once again eliminated by Spain in a penalty shootout.