Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro was born on February 5, 1985 in Funchal, Madeira, Portugal. He grew up in the parish of Santo António and joined Andorinha, where his father, José Dinis Aveiro, worked with the club. After spells at Nacional and Sporting CP’s academy, he made his senior Sporting debut in 2002. In August 2003, Manchester United signed the 18-year-old winger after Sporting beat United 3–1 in a preseason match at the Estádio José Alvalade. Ronaldo received United’s number seven shirt, previously worn by players including George Best, Eric Cantona, and David Beckham. His first season in England ended with an FA Cup final victory over Millwall in 2004. Under Alex Ferguson, he developed from a wide dribbler into a decisive scorer. In 2007–08, he scored 42 goals in all competitions as United won the Premier League and UEFA Champions League. That year, he won the Ballon d’Or, becoming a Portuguese winner for the first time since Luís Figo in 2000. In 2009, Real Madrid paid a then-world-record £80 million transfer fee for him. At Madrid, Ronaldo formed part of a side that won four Champions League titles from 2014 through 2018. He scored 450 goals in 438 competitive appearances for the club, its leading all-time scorer. His 2013–14 season included 17 goals in the Champions League, a single-campaign competition record at the time. Real won “La Décima,” its tenth European Cup, by defeating Atlético Madrid in the 2014 final; Ronaldo scored a late penalty in extra time. He moved to Juventus in 2018, winning Serie A in each of his first two seasons. Juventus also won the Coppa Italia in 2021, when Ronaldo finished as Serie A’s top scorer with 29 goals. He returned to Manchester United in 2021, then joined Saudi Pro League club Al Nassr in December 2022. In 2023, he scored twice for Portugal against Liechtenstein, taking his men's international-record total to 120 goals. Ronaldo captained Portugal at Euro 2016, although injury forced him off during the final against France. Portugal nevertheless won 1–0 after Éder scored in extra time. At the 2019 UEFA Nations League finals on home soil, Portugal beat the Netherlands 1–0 and lifted the trophy. Ronaldo became the first men’s player to score in five World Cups when he converted a penalty against Ghana in 2022. His individual honors include five Ballons d’Or and four European Golden Shoes. He has maintained a major commercial profile, including Nike.