Facts About Your Role Model 1: Cristiano Ronaldo Biography

WHO IS CRISTIANO RONALDO

Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro is a Portuguese soccer superstar. By 2003 -- when he was 16 years old -- Manchester United paid £12 million (over $14 million U.S dollars) to sign him, a record fee for a player of his age.

In the 2004 FA Cup Final, Ronaldo scored Manchester's first three goals and helped them capture the championship. He set a franchise record for goals scored in 2008, before Real Madrid paid a record $131 million for his services the following year.

Among his many accomplishments, he has won a record-typing five Ballon d'Or awards for player of the year, and led Portugal to an emotional victory in the 2016 European Championship. In July 2018 Ronaldo embarked on a new phase of his career by signing with Italian Serie A club Juventus.

EARLY LIFE

Ronaldo was born on February 5, 1985, in Funchal, Madeira, Portugal, a small island off the western coast of the country. Ronaldo is the youngest of four children born to Maria Dolores dos Santos and José Dinis Aveiro. He was named after Ronald Reagan, one of his father's favorite actors.

Ronaldo grew up in a largely working class neighborhood in a small tin-roofed home that overlooked the ocean. Ronaldo was introduced to the game of soccer through his dad, who worked as an equipment manager at a boy's club.

His early life was shaped by hardship, as his father often drank too much. To keep the children fed and maintain some financial stability, Ronaldo's mum worked as a cook and a cleaning person.

In 2005, when Ronaldo was playing for Manchester United, his father died from alcohol-related kidney problems; 2007, his mother struggled from breast cancer. The former was especially hard for Ronaldo since he and his dad had been close.

The young athlete had often pushed for his father to enter rehab and address his drinking. His father however never accepted the offer.

By the time he was ten years old, Ronaldo was also recognized as a phenomenon -- a kid who ate, drank and slept soccer. "All he wanted to do as a boy was to play football", his godfather, Fernao Sousa, recalled for British reporters, adding, "He loved the game so much he'd miss meals or escape out of the bedroom through the window with a ball when he supposed to be doing his homework".

By his early teens, Ronaldo's talent and legend had grown considerably. After a stint with Nacional da liha da Madeira, he signed with sporting Portugal, in 2001.

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