Here’s a look at the life of soccer player Cristiano Ronaldo, Real Madrid’s top goalscorer.
Personal:
Birth date: February 5, 1985
Birth place: Funchal, Portugal
Birth name: Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro
Father: Jose Dinis Aveiro, a gardener
Mother: Maria Dolores dos Santos Aveiro, a cook
Children: Eva and Mateo, 2017 (mother’s name unavailable publicly); Cristiano Jr., 2010 (mother’s name unavailable publicly)
Other Facts:
Portugal’s all-time top international goalscorer.
Winner of the Ballon d’Or, footballer of the year award, four times (2008, 2013, 2014, 2016) and the European Golden Shoe four times (2007-08, 2010-11, 2013-14 and 2014-15).
One of his acts of charity was paying for the brain surgery of a 10-month-old boy. Other acts have included raising money for the 2004 Indonesian tsunami and paying for treatment for a 9-year-old cancer patient.
His father named him after Ronald Reagan.
Timeline:
Early 1990s – Joins local amateur team Andorinha.
Late 1990s – Joins Clube Desportivo Nacional da Madeira, one of Portugal’s leading professional football clubs.
Early 2000s – Signs with Sporting Clube de Portugal.
August 12, 2003 – Signs with Manchester United for £12.24 million, or $19.7 million.
August 20, 2003 – Debuts for Portugal’s national team.
June-July 2004 – Represents Portugal in the UEFA Euro and scores a goal in the tournament opener. This is his first major international tournament.
July 2004 – Plays for Portugal during the Summer Olympics. Portugal is eliminated in the group stage.
2005 – Wins the FIFPro Special Young Player of the Year award.
October 2005 – Comes under investigation for an alleged sexual assault, but is not charged.
June 17, 2006 – Scores his first World Cup goal against Iran. Portugal wins 2-0.
2008 – Wins the FIFA World Player of the Year award.
2009 – Transfers to Real Madrid. The deal has a £80 million (more than $130 million) transfer fee.
July 3, 2010 – Announces that he has become a father. The baby was born on June 17.
December 15, 2013 – Opens a museum dedicated to his football career in his hometown of Funchal, Portugal.
January 6, 2014 – Scores his 400th career goal.
January 20, 2014 – Is named Grand Officer of the Order of Prince Henry.
October 17, 2015 – Officially becomes Real Madrid’s all-time leading goalscorer in the club’s 3-0 victory over Levante at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium.
November 9, 2015 – The documentary “Ronaldo” premieres in London.
November 8, 2016 – Signs a “lifetime” endorsement deal with Nike.
January 2017 – Is named the inaugural Best FIFA Men’s Player of 2016.
June 13, 2017 – Is accused of defrauding Spanish authorities of $16.4 million in tax between 2011 and 2014.
July 31, 2017 – Ronaldo appears in a Spanish court as part of the ongoing investigation into his alleged tax evasion.
August 14, 2017 – According to the Spanish Football Federation, Ronaldo is banned for five games following his red card in Real Madrid’s 3-1 victory over rival Barcelona. On top of the one-game ban for the red card, he will miss four further games for pushing referee Ricardo De Burgos Bengoetxea as he was leaving the field.
