Name: Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro

Date of Birth: 5 th February, 1985

Hometown: Funchal, Madeira, Portugal

Height: 6′ 1″

Nationality: Portuguese

Current Club: Manchester United

Playing Position: Right Wing / Left Wing

Life before Professional Football

Christiano Ronaldo, the rising star of football, was born on 5 th February, 1985 to the Aveiro family. Ronaldo was a fan of football from a very early time of his life. He started kicking the ball when he was three. He started his schooling at age six, and his passion and love for the game was inevitable. By the time he was ten, he had gained enough reputation and the top two teams of Portugal, CS Marimo and Cd Nacional were both ready to accept him as a member. He joined a club named Sporting Clube de Portugal and played against Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United. He impressed many with his ability to play on the wings and Alex Ferguson decided to sign him up for the League.

International Career

C Ronaldo played for the first time for the National side in August 2003 against Kazakhstan, scoring the only goal for Portugal and ending up on the losing side.

The Euro 2004, was the first ever tournament that Ronaldo took part in representing his National Team. He scored a goal in the opening match against Greece and then later scored one against the Netherlands in the Semifinals. Portugal moved on to the final thanks to the goal of Cristiano Ronaldo. They ended up as runners up to Greece.

Fifa World Cup 2006 was another highlight of Ronaldo’s career. He scored his first World Cup goal against Iran. He was named the captain of the International Side for the friendly match against Brazil on February 6 th , 2007. In the World Cup, Portugal reached the semi-final stage but lost to France.
Club Career

Ronaldo’s club career started for Sporting Clube de Portugal. He made his debut for Sporting against Moreirense, where he scored two goals. He then featured in the under 17 UEFA Championship.

Impressing Alex Ferguson with his exceptional dribbling and crossing capabilities, he was given the opportunity to join the club in 2003. He was the replacement of David Beckam, who departed from Manchester to play for the Spanish Real Madrid. He made his debut for Manshester United again Bolton Wanderes, which the team won with a 4-0 margin. He scored 8 goals for his Club in the first season he played.

In the 2005 season, Ronaldo again made great milestones which added to his fame. He scored United’s 1000th Premiership goal against Middlesbrough. He gained great respect and honor from the English fans who chanted slogans like “there is only one Ronaldo”.

By 2006, Ronaldo had become one of the most influential players for Manchester United. He great dribbling abilities were unlike any great player of the game and were far from ordinary.

Statistics show that Ronaldo has made 190 appearances for Manchester United and has scored 50 goals.

Career Highlights

Awards with Manchester United

FA Premier League 2006-2007

FA Cup 2004

Football League Cup 2006

Individual Awards

PFA Player of the year 2007

PFA Young Player of the year 2007

PFA Fan’s Player of the Year 2007

PFA Premiership Team of the Year 2005-2006 ; 2006-2007

Barclays Player of the Season 2006-2007

Barclays Player of the Month November 2006 and December 2006

PFA Fan’s Player of the Month October 2006 and February 2007

FifPro Special Young Player of the Year 2005, 2006

Portuguese Sports Personality 2006

Portuguese Footballer of the Year 2007

Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year: 2006-2007

Manchester United Players’ Player of the Year: 2006-2007

Special Achievements

* One of only two players to have won both the PFA Players’ Player of the Year and PFA Young Player of the Year awards in the same year, the other being Andy Gray in 1977.

* Also won the PFA Fans’ Player of the Year award, becoming the first player to win all three Professional Footballers Association awards in one season.

* Only the third player in Premiership history to win back-to-back Barclays Player of the Month awards, and the first since the 1995-1996 season.

* Holds the Premiership record for most goals scored in one season by a midfielder, having scored 17 times during the 2006-2007 Premiership campaign.

* One of only two players to feature in the PFA Premiership Team of the Year for both the 2005-2006 and 2006-2007 seasons, the other being Steven Gerrard.