Cristiano Ronaldo has broken records, defied odds, and delivered hat tricks on the field that made him one of the best football forwards in the history of the sport.
But, how familiar are you with the legendary Portuguese footballer?
Here are some Cristiano Ronaldo facts that you may not know about.
Childhood Facts About Christiano Ronaldo
1. Where was Cristiano Ronaldo born?
Born on the 5th of February 1985, in Funchal, Madeira, Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro is the youngest child of Maria Dolores and Jose Dinis Aveiro, among four children. He was raised in a poor Catholic home; his mother worked as a cook and his father was a municipal gardener and part-time kit man.
2. He was named after US President Ronald Reagan.
Cristiano’s father was a big fan of the famous actor and 40th US President Ronald Reagan, who won his reelection around the time Cristiano was born. Ronaldo told GQ in 2016 that his parents named him after the former president because they believed it “sounded strong.”
3. His family went through a difficult financial crisis.
Ronaldo’s family faced extreme poverty during his childhood and he and his siblings often had to help their mother earn some money, including by cleaning the streets of Madeira. His mother once stated that she wanted to abort him because of their difficult financial situation, but her doctor refused to perform that procedure.
4. At 14, Ronaldo was expelled from his school.
The football legend was expelled from school after throwing a chair at his teacher. The teacher reportedly made fun of his family’s financial situation, which led to his reaction. Ronaldo had said in an interview that the teacher “disrespected” him.
5. The GOAT underwent heart surgery at the age of 15.
Ronaldo was diagnosed with tachycardia and an irregular heartbeat, which could have thwarted his career, and had to undergo heart surgery. Luckily, the intervention went well, he was discharged the same day and even started training a few days after, according to his mother.
6. When did Cristiano Ronaldo start playing football?
Ronaldo started playing football for the amateur club Andorinha at the age of 7, where his father was the kit-man. He spent 3 years there, before joining Nacional. He later joined the Portuguese club Sporting at 16, where he played for the Youth teams and for the first team.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s Personal Life Facts
7. Does Cristiano Ronaldo have any tattoos?
Unlike most football players, the Portuguese football star is not a fan of tattoos. Ronaldo once stated he’s not planning on getting any ink on his body because he’s a regular blood donor and getting a tattoo would mean he has to stop for a while.
He also donated his bone marrow to the son of his teammate Carlos Martins when his son fell ill with leukaemia.
8. Cristiano was in a relationship with the top model Irina Shayk.
Cristiano and Irina dated for 5 years. They reportedly met through modelling campaigns for Armani Exchange. If you’re wondering why they split up, there has never been an official confirmation.
Ronaldo was linked to a number of women in the following years until he met his current girlfriend, the Spanish model and dancer Georgina Rodriguez, who is considered one of the hottest football wags.
9. He has five kids from different women.
His first son, Cristiano Ronaldo Jr., was born to a surrogate mother in 2010 in the USA, while Cristiano was dating Irina. His twins, Eva and Mateo, were born seven years later, also via a surrogate.
His current girlfriend Georgina gave birth to her first and Ronaldo’s fourth baby, Alana Martina, in 2017. She and Ronaldo were expecting twins this year, but there were complications after the birth and sadly out of both twins, only the girl survived.
10. Ronaldo paid $83,000 for brain surgery for a 10-month-old boy.
The Portuguese football player has given a chunk of his wealth to charity and is widely considered to be one of the most charitable athletes in the world. Back in 2014, he was asked to donate his cleats to a charity auction for a 10-month-old baby who suffered from a brain disorder.
Instead, Ronaldo said he’ll pay for the surgery and cover further treatments the boy may need. In 2012, he also paid for treatment for a girl with terminal cancer.
11. How many hotels does Ronaldo own?
Ronaldo is one of the highest-paid football players so it comes as no surprise that he is the owner of five hotels with locations in his hometown of Funchal in Madeira, Lisbon, Madrid, New York, and Marrakech named Pestana CR7 (in a partnership with Pestana Group).
The prices of the hotel rooms vary between €150 and €300 and the suites can cost over €1000.
12. Ronaldo has his own museum with more than 130 trophies.
Ronaldo is one of the players with the most trophies, and the museum in Funchal, Madeira, is dedicated to all of the achievements and trophies Ronaldo has achieved and won throughout his career.
CR7 Museu is home to more than 130 original and replica trophies, photos from his younger football days, shirts, match balls, and two life-sized mannequins, among other things.
Interesting Facts About Cristiano Ronaldo and His Career
13. He signed his first professional contract with Sporting CP.
After his beginnings in Andorinha and Nacional, Ronaldo joined Sporting CP and became the first player to play for U16, U17, U18, the B team, and the first team in just one season.
After 5 years at Sporting, Sir Alex Ferguson, impressed by the talent of the young player, agreed to pay Sporting £12.24 million and signed the footballer to one of the biggest clubs in England, Manchester United.
Related: Most successful football clubs in England
14. Sir Alex Ferguson was his ‘father in sport.’
Ronaldo has stated that one of the greatest managers, Ferguson was his ‘father in sport’ and that he played an enormous role in his career.
He spent a total of six years with the Red Devils, where he scored 84 goals in 196 matches and won three Premier League titles.
15. How many hat tricks does Ronaldo have?
He has a record of 60 hat tricks. Ronaldo is at the top of the list of active players with the most hat tricks. He also netted 10 hat tricks over the course of his career for the national football team and holds the record for most hat tricks in international men’s football.
Also read: Who is the youngest World cup scorer?
16. The first player in history to score 800 official goals.
Ronaldo became the first player in the sport’s history to score over 800 professional goals in 2021 after he scored two goals against Arsenal in a 3-2 victory. He has scored a total of 807 goals in his entire career (so far), 115 of which were in matches for Portugal.
17. How many Ballon d’Or awards does Ronaldo have?
The Ballon d’Or award is an annual award presented to the best football player in the men’s category. Ronaldo has won it 5 times (two times short of Lionel Messi). The legendary football player has also won 1 UEFA European Championship, 5 Champions League, 3 Premier League, and 2 La Liga titles, among other things.
Interestingly, Ronaldo sold one of his Ballon d’Or awards for $805.439, and all of the money was donated to his charity.
Fun Facts About Christiano Ronaldo
18. Ronaldo is the most followed person on Instagram.
Ronaldo became the first person on Instagram to ever reach 400 million followers on the social media platform. For comparison, he has more followers than all 92 football clubs in the English Football League.
19. At one point, he had only 7% body fat.
Ronaldo made headlines after he signed for Juventus, in part because of numbers from his medical exam. The Spanish newspaper Diario AS reported that he had a 7% body fat, around 3% less than an average football player, and 50% muscle mass, which is around 4% more than an average football player.
Ronaldo himself confirmed that he had the physique of a 23-year-old at the time.
20. Cristiano can jump higher than a basketball player.
Ronaldo can jump above 2 metres, which is more than an average basketball player.
His highest-ever jump was an unbelievable 2.93 metres, which is almost 50 cm higher than the crossbar.
21. Ronaldo has scored a goal in every minute of a football match.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Luiz Suarez, and Ronaldo are the only footballers that have scored at least one goal in every single minute of a football match, including a goal in every injury minute after each half and in every minute of the 90-minute regulation time.
22. The iconic number 7.
It was his coach Alex Ferguson that convinced Ronaldo to take the number 7, due to a belief that he would be as successful as David Beckham, George Best, and Eric Cantona, who had previously worn that number. Ronaldo initially wanted to wear No. 28, the number he wore at Sporting Lisbon.
23. Cristiano has over 10 cars in his garage.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s car collection includes some of the most expensive cars in the world, with the Bugatti Centodieci being worth just a little under 10 million.
Bottom Line
One of Ronaldo’s most popular quotes is: “Talent without working hard is nothing.” And based on these Christiano Ronaldo facts, he is the perfect example of that.
The football player managed to reach stardom and immense success through hard work and dedication and continues to deliver on the field at the age of 37.
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