How Cristiano Ronaldo Beat Heart Disease And Became The Best - Motivational Success Story

Cristiano Ronaldo was born in Madeira and comes from a very poor family. His early life was filled with struggles. His father was a gardener who was an alcoholic and in 2005 died from liver failure. His mother worked as a cook and a cleaning lady so she can provide a hot meal for the family. I was brought up with nothing. We were very poor. I had no toys, no Christmas presents. I shared a room with my brother and two sisters and my parents slept in the other. But luckily having a ball around would always make him forget about every struggle and focus on becoming the best. That always brought a smile to his face. When he was 8, Cristiano began to play for Andorina, his first club, where his father worked as a kitman. Even in the early days his talent was obvious and his work ethic praiseworthy. So at the age of 11, Ronaldo caught the attention of sporting club De Portugal. When he was growing up, everybody knew that he was talented but they also said that he was very small and skinny. And Cristiano didn't like the sound of it. It's true. I was skinny. I had no muscle. So I made a decision at 11 years old. I knew I had a lot of talent but I decided that I was going to work harder than everybody. I started sneaking out of the dormitory at night to go work out. I got bigger and faster. I would walk onto the field and the people who used to whisper, yeah but he's so skinny, now they would be looking at me like it was the end of the world. While he was popular with other students at school, he was not so popular with the teachers. Cristiano was expelled from school after throwing a chair at his teacher, whom he said had disrespected him. One of the most difficult moments for Cristiano was having to leave Madeira to join the Lisbon Academy. Football gave me everything but it also took me far away from home before I was really ready. When I was 11 years old, I moved from the island to the academy at Sporting Lisbon and it was the most difficult time in my life. When Cristiano Ronaldo was playing for Sporting Lisbon at the age of 15, his career almost ended before it began. Cristiano was diagnosed with a heart condition that, unfortunately, made his heart race even when he was not running or playing. He had to underwent a heart surgery that successfully fixed the problem so, finally, he could run, practice and focus on the thing that was most important – achieving his dream. In 2003, Cristiano Ronaldo signed a contract worth £15 million and became the first Portuguese player to be part of Manchester United. After he joined the team and secured himself a future as a football star, Sir Alex Ferguson insisted on giving him the number 7 jersey. In 2009, when Cristiano Ronaldo made a move from Manchester United to Real Madrid, he became the most expensive footballer in history in a transfer worth €94 million. And after nearly a decade, his career with Real Madrid ended when Ronaldo signed a four-year contract with Juventus with a transfer worth €100 million. The transfer was the highest ever for a player over 30 years old. Ronaldo has won 27 trophies in his career, including 5 league titles, 5 European Cups and 1 European Championship. But he, like every human being, had difficulties, failures and disappointments. But his incredible capability to focus, work hard and build his skills every day made him who he is today, made his never-give-up attitude. I'm not a perfectionist, but I like to feel that things are done well. More important than that, I feel an endless need to learn, to improve, to evolve, not only to please the coach and the fans, but also to feel satisfied with myself. It is my conviction that there are no limits to learning and that it can never stop, no matter what our age. So no matter what obstacles and setbacks he faces, Ronaldo is up for every challenge. We don't want to tell our dreams, we want to show them. So remember, obstacles, failures and disappointments are good for you, they make you stronger. So what does not giving up really mean? It means believing in yourself. Whatever you do and whatever you face, you have to believe in yourself. From a very young age, Cristiano Ronaldo always believed in himself. No matter how tough the situation was and no matter the odds, in my mind, I'm the best player in the world. Not even a heart disease could stop him. So what's stopping you? You are a unique, special and amazing person with your own talents and gifts and you have to invest in them because no one will do it for you. When you truly believe in yourself, you're invincible. The desire to evolve, to become the best and to taste greatness is universal in all human beings. I mean, there is not a single person who doesn't want to become great. But unfortunately, only few people put in the time, the work, the sweat and the effort to really become great. Don't be the person who only dreams to achieve greatness but doesn't lift a finger for it. The world is filled with talented people, gifted people who turned into failures. Talent matters, but matters less. What really matters is how dedicated you are to your calling. How bad do you want it? Work hard if you want to achieve greatness. You don't have to be the best in the world, strive to be the best version of yourself. So what's your story?