Cristiano Ronaldo: An era of his own
Cristiano Ronaldo, in full Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro, (born February 5, 1985, Funchal, Madeira, Portugal), Portuguese football (soccer) forward who was one of the greatest players of his generation.
Early days of Ronaldo
He first played for Clube Desportivo Nacional of Madeira and then transferred to Sporting Clube de Portugal. Where he played for that club’s various youth teams before making his debut on Sporting’s first team in 2002.
After a successful season with Sporting that brought the young player to the attention of Europe’s biggest football clubs, Ronaldo signed with English powerhouse Manchester United in 2003. He was an instant sensation and soon came to be regarded as one of the best forwards in the game. His finest season with United came in 2007–08. When he scored 42 League and Cup goals and earned the Golden Shoe award as Europe’s leading scorer. After helping United to a Champions League title in May 2008, Ronaldo captured Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) World Player of the Year honors for his stellar 2007–08 season. He also led United to an appearance in the 2009 Champions League final, which they lost to FC Barcelona.
Moving to real Madrid
Soon thereafter Ronaldo was sold to Spain’s Real Madrid—a club with which he had long been rumoured to want to play—for a then record £80 million (about $131 million) transfer fee. His scoring prowess continued with his new team, and he netted the most goals (40) in La Liga history during the 2010–11 season (his record was broken the following season by his rival Lionel Messi of Barcelona). In 2011–12 Ronaldo helped Madrid capture a La Liga championship and scored a personal-best 46 goals during the League season.
Ronaldo’s Juventus story
Two league titles, one Coppa Italia and one Italian Super Cup. Cristiano Ronaldo collected plenty of silverware during his three full seasons at Juventus. And that’s before you count the two Serie A player of the year awards and a top scorer prize.
Ronaldo’s move to Juventus was about more than just football, though. There were $60m worth of shirt sales in the first 24 hours after his unveiling. Six million social media followers were added to Juve’s accounts.
