Cristiano Ronaldo is arguably the best footballer the world has ever seen. He's won some of the biggest competitions in world football, and despite the fact that he's coming towards the end of his career, he's still going strong at one of the biggest clubs in the world. Like any successful person, Ronaldo is both loved and loathed. Nobody can deny his talent and work ethic, but his self-confidence/massive ego (delete as appropriate) can be a huge turn-off to some. As the Portuguese legend looks to dominate Italy, we've taken a look at his early life, career net worth and wife.
Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro was born on 5 February 1985 on the island of Madeira. He comes from humble backgrounds as his father was a gardener and his mother had two jobs just to keep up with the bills. He's the youngest of four, with two older sisters and an older brother. He was always playing football on the Island and joined club Andorinha from around the age of eight. Ronaldo was given the nickname 'abelhinha' (little bee) because he was small and he was very quick. He joined Nacional at 10, before moving onto Sporting at 12 where he played one season in the first team.
Manchester United
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After Ronaldo turned 16, he moved to Premier League giants Manchester United after playing against them in the Champions League. Cristiano became one of Manchester United's most important players during his six-year stint at the club. He took on the legendary number 7 shirt and made it his own.
At Manchester United, he scored 118 goals in 292 games and won:
Premier League: 2006-07, 2007-08, 2008-09
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FA Cup: 2003-04
Football League Cup: 2005-06, 2008-09
FA Community Shield: 2007
UEFA Champions League: 2007-08
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FIFA Club World Cup: 2008
Real Madrid
In 2009, Cristiano Ronaldo became the most expensive player in the world after Real Madrid paid £80 million to bring him to the Bernabeu. Impressively he scored 33 goals in his first season, leaving United wishing they'd asked for more. Cristiano scored an incredible 451 goals in 438 games, meaning an average of 1.03 goals per game and won:
La Liga: 2011-12, 2016-17
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Copa del Rey: 2010-11, 2013-14
Supercopa de España: 2012, 2017
UEFA Champions League: 2013-14, 2015-16, 2016-17, 2017-18
UEFA Super Cup: 2014, 2017
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FIFA Club World Cup: 2014, 2016, 2017
On 10 July 2018, Ronaldo signed a four-year contract with Juventus after completing a €100 million transfer, which included an additional €12 million in other fees.
Personal accolades
World Soccer Player of the Year: 2008, 2013, 2014, 2016
GSA Best Player of the Year: 2011, 2014, 2016, 2017
Shortlisted for the FIFPro Young Player of the Year: 2004
FIFA World Player of the Year 2008
Net worth
According to wealthygorilla, Cristiano Ronaldo's net worth is around $450 million.
Who's his wife?
Despite being one of the biggest names in football, Ronaldo tends to keep his personal life quiet. However, it's known that he's married to Spanish beauty Georgina Rodriguez. She's a 25-year-old model who comes from Spain.
As Ronaldo is one of the hardest working footballers on the training pitch, it doesn't look like his career will be slowing down anytime soon.
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