The Entire History Of Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo's life is the biggest rollercoaster in football history. Setbacks, awards, to even losing the most important person in his life, Ronaldo had to go through all of this to get to the top. And it's crazy! Because, at the beginning, it all could have never happened. Ronaldo was born on the 5th of February, 1985, in Lisbon, Portugal, to really poor parents. See, his dad, José Diniz, used to be a kit man for a local club in Portugal and Orinia. And his mom, well, she just managed to get by. Add this to the fact that they lived in a one-room apartment, with Ronaldo's older siblings, with no food to eat sometimes. And life was tough. Still, despite all that hardship, Ronaldo found the one thing he could use to escape all his troubles at the time. But what he didn't know was that this sport was going to change his life. FOOTBALL Soon as he could walk, Ronaldo spent countless hours every day trying to get better. He was always out in the streets putting in the hard yards. Until one day, he got his big opportunity, when a local scout came along and offered him the chance of a lifetime, sporting Lisbon. At the time, the club was looking at taking a couple of talented kids into the academy, and Ronaldo was one of the selected few. But they still had to pass a final trial before they got in. And in Ronaldo's words, this game changed everything. Trial day. And just before the start of the game, the scout came in and broke the message to the kids. Whoever scores the most goals, that's the person we pick. As soon as Ronaldo heard that, he was locked in. He scored a goal. But another kid on his team, Albert Fantrau, had scored two. So coming into the final minutes of the game, Ronaldo and Albert were both through on goal, when Albert went round the goalie. And instead of shooting into the empty goal, he decided to pass to Ronaldo instead. Ronaldo got the contract, and now he was at sporting, it was time to show the world just how good he was. After bagging the first couple of goals for the senior team against Mourinho, Ronaldo never looked back. He became so good that now, a lot of clubs were interested in him. But Ronaldo's big break was about to come months later. After he put in a performance so crazy, he had the biggest club in England on speed dial trying to sign him. Sporting Lisbon versus Manchester United in a friendly game. And Ronaldo put in a masterclass performance. He had the entire United defense on strings. And by the end of the game, Sir Alex Ferguson had seen enough. So he rang up Ronaldo's agent, struck a deal, and days later, Ronaldo was off to Manchester United on a deal worth 19 million dollars. At his new club, Ronaldo was tipped to be the next big thing. In fact, Sir Alex believed in him so much, that when Ronaldo joined on jersey picking day and asked for the number 28 jersey, Sir Alex said no, and gave him the club's most important shirt number. Yeah, the birth of CR7. But on the field, it didn't quite pan out the way he thought it would. Ronaldo got off to a slow start, and even got labeled by some of his teammates as a kid who just loved dribbling too much. But to Ronaldo, this was more than anything he could ever ask for. Because now, he could afford to take his family off the streets and give them a place of their own. But just when things started to look up for Ronaldo, one phone call sent his entire world crashing down. His dad, Jose Denis, fell sick. Now, Ronaldo's relationship with his dad was kinda complicated. Because all those years growing up, he just wanted to get closer to his old man. But his dad was so sick and tired of not being able to provide for Ronaldo and the family, that he started drinking. And now, he developed liver issues. Quickly, Ronaldo asked for permission to leave the club, so he could go see his dad. And as soon as he got to the hospital, Ronaldo made a promise to do everything he could to keep him alive. But in the end, it was too late. Because days later, Jose Denis was dead. And it shattered Ronaldo. But it was here that Ronaldo got his elite mentality. Because right after this incident, Ronaldo knew all he had left was his mom and siblings. They were family now. So, he made another promise. To become the best in the world, just to see them happy. And two years later, Ronaldo fulfilled his promise on the biggest stage. That 2007-08 season was special for Ronaldo. He scored a record high 31 goals in the league. Add that to being the Champions League top scorer, and winning the competition too. And months later, Ronaldo was officially the best footballer on the planet. At this time, he'd also achieved something else that made his family even prouder. In 2004, Ronaldo was part of the team that lost the Euros on home turf to Greece. And after that, he just kicked into another gear for the national team. And became so good that by 2008, he was made captain of the Portuguese national team. But back to club football now. And after a Champions League final defeat in 2009, Ronaldo knew it was time to take the next big step in his career. And in that summer, he broke the world record to become the most expensive footballer on the planet. Real freaking Madrid! Ronaldo had hit the big time and couldn't stop winning. Same thing with his personal life too. Because months after this big money move, he got another huge win. Just not the way he thought he would. His son Cristiano Junior was born. Ronaldo decided to keep the details of Junior's mom a secret. But it was now clear. He was ready to start his family in Madrid and build his football dynasty. But first, he had a job to do at Madrid that was going to take him 5 years to complete. Before Ronaldo joined Real Madrid, the last time they won the Champions League was in 2002. And Ronaldo was supposed to be the main man to change that. Even though he won the Ballon d'Or in 2013, at Madrid, they still couldn't get the job done. Until Ronaldo decided, in 2013-14, that he was done playing games. And that season, he took Madrid to Champions League glory. He broke the record for the most goals in a Champions League campaign with 16, including scoring a goal in the final in his home country of Portugal. Add another Ballon d'Or to the collection that year, and he was now one off his biggest rival, Lionel Messi. Ronaldo and Messi hit the biggest stages in competing in Spain. Can't say the same at international level though. Because despite hitting the heights at club level, Ronaldo had failed to repeat his form in international competitions. He was captain of the team that got knocked out of the World Cup at the group stage in 2010. Add that to a Euro 2012 semi-final exit and a 2014 World Cup group stage exit, Ronaldo knew he had to turn up for the national team. Coming into this one, no one fancied Portugal. But they somehow made it to the final, thanks to Ronaldo's four goals. Until the day of the final against the host France, and Ronaldo had the biggest heartbreak of his career. He couldn't continue, and had to get subbed off. Still, Ronaldo's teammates helped him to a surprise 1-0 victory. And the boy from Madeira all those years back, had now led his country to the first major trophy in its history. After that, the records kept humbling for Ronaldo. Another Ballon d'Or, and three more Champions Leagues. But at the end of 2018, now 33, and with over 450 goals for Real Madrid, Ronaldo once again decided to start a new chapter in his career. And this one had him going on a date with the old lady, Juventus. But unfortunately, this move never worked out as he hoped it would. Ronaldo came with a main aim, of winning the Champions League like he did at Madrid. But three seasons, three knockouts in the round of 16 and quarter-final stages, and at the end of 2021, Ronaldo wanted out, and figured the only place he could go to, was back home. His return back to United almost broke the internet. After an opening day brace against Newcastle United, Ronaldo showed signs that he could once again lead United back to the glory days. But unfortunately, his second homecoming went horribly wrong. First, in 2022, he suffered another damaging heartbreak that he described as the worst of his life. His son with his partner, Georgina Rodriguez, Angel, sadly passed on. On the field, Ronaldo and United never worked out. Then after the club switched coaches to a new man in Eric Ten Hag, they both fell off. And it led to Ronaldo dropping the most controversial interview of 2022. He called everyone out, and United decided to terminate his contract. But Ronaldo wasn't even looking at that now, because he had his sights set on his last dance. Now 37, Ronaldo knew the World Cup in Qatar was potentially going to be his last one. So he was ready to give everything for one final shot at glory. But it just wasn't meant to be. Out in the last eight. On the plus side, Ronaldo turned his attention back to club football. And at the start of 2023, he shocked the world again. His new deal at Al Nasser has him earning 200 million a year. From the streets of Portugal, to being able to afford his own island, Ronaldo made it out. And he subscribed to Goal Zone too. The ultimate win.