Cristiano Ronaldo Dos Santos

Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro, Order of Infante D. Henrique (Pronunciation ), (born 5 February 1985 in Funchal, Madeira), better known as Cristiano Ronaldo, is a professional Portugal football (soccer). He plays for the England club Manchester United F.C] and Portugal national football team.

Biography

Ronaldo was born in Madeira, Portugal, to Maria Dolores dos Santos Aveiro and the late José Dinis Aveiro (1954 – London, 5 September 2005). He has one older brother, Hugo (b. 1975), and two elder sisters, Elma (b. 1974) and Liliana Cátia (b. Madeira, 5 October 1976). Liliana Cátia works as a singer by the stage name "Ronalda" in Portugal. She is married to José Pereira and has a son named Rodrigo. Cristiano's second name ("Ronaldo") is relatively rare in Portugal. His parents named him after former U.S. President Ronald Reagan.

Early career

He began kicking a football when he was three, and when he started primary school at age six, his passion for the sport was obvious. His favourite boyhood team was SL Benfica even though he would later join their rival, Sporting Clube de Portugal. He first played for an amateur team, Andorinha, where his father was the kit man, when he was just eight years old. By 1995, at just ten years of age, Cristiano Ronaldo's reputation was growing in Portugal. Madeira's top two teams, CS Marítimo and CD Nacional were both interested in signing him. Marítimo, the bigger team, missed a crucial meeting with Rui Santos manager of Andorinha, and as a result Ronaldo signed for Nacional. After a title-winning campaign at Nacional, Ronaldo went on a three day trial with Sporting Clube de Portugal who subsequently signed him for an undisclosed sum.

Sporting Clube de Portugal

Ronaldo joined Sporting's other youth players who trained at the Alcochete, the club's "football factory," where he received first-class instruction. Sporting realised that Ronaldo needed more support and arranged for his mother to join him. He made his debut for Sporting against Moreirense and scored two goals. He also featured for Portugal in the UEFA Under 17 Championships.

His performances at the UEFA Under 17 championship drew him to the attention of the wider football world. He was first spotted by former Liverpool F.C] manager Gérard Houllier at the age of 16. However, Liverpool later declined him because he was too young and needed some time to develop into a top footballer. However, he came to the attention of Sir Alex Ferguson in the summer of 2003, when Sporting beat Manchester United 3 – 1 in the inauguration of the Estádio José Alvalade stadium in Lisbon. Ronaldo demonstrated his ability to play on both wings. After the match, United's players spoke enthusiastically of the young talent that they had just played against, saying they would rather have him in their team than play against him in the future. He made his debut for Manchester United as a 60th minute substitute against Bolton Wanderers F.C. at Old Trafford. United were then 1-0 up but with just minutes on the pitch, Ronaldo won a penalty, which Ruud van Nistelrooy saw saved by Jussi Jääskeläinen. However, this did not affect the eventual outcome as the match ended in a 4-0 win to Manchester United. Ronaldo was handed the number 7 shirt on his arrival, a shirt number that has belonged to some of the greatest Manchester United legends like George Best, Bryan Robson, Eric Cantona and David Beckham. Ronaldo initially asked for the number 28 which he wore at Sporting, as he did not want the pressure of living up to expectations with the number 7. He has played primarily as a Winger (football) for United and can play on either wing.
He has additionally also played in a central attacking role for Manchester United as well as a second striker.

In 2006, a row between him and Ruud van Nistelrooy at the Carrington training ground intensified speculation about their roles at the club. However, Ronaldo signed a new deal with United that would last until 2010. Ronaldo said of the deal, "United have stood by me and been there for me and I want to repay that."
Ronaldo has occasionally had problems with his temper during games, he was sent off in a game against Manchester City and received a one-match ban imposed by UEFA for a "Finger (gesture)" towards SL Benfica fans in a UEFA Champions League match in December 2005. While playing for Portugal in a friendly against Luxembourg national football team he was given a yellow card for pushing Jeff Strasser in the throat in retaliation after Strasser tackled him. Felipe Scolari warned Ronaldo to keep his temper in check during the World Cup. Cristiano Ronaldo was dismissed due to an altercation with Portsmouth F.C. Player Richard Hughes, in a Premier League game on the Wednesday, 15 August 2007, and was therefore banned for the subsequent 3 games. He felt really disappointed for not playing, and promised to keep his temper in the future.

On 29 October 2005, Ronaldo scored Manchester United's 1000th Premier League goal, in a 4 – 1 loss at the hands of Middlesbrough F.C.. He bagged a double double in February, with two goals at home to Fulham F.C. and another pair at Fratton Park, and also scored in the following Premier League game against Wigan Athletic F.C. taking his tally to 8 Premiership goals. On 26 February 2006, Ronaldo played in the Football League Cup Final against Wigan in the Millennium Stadium at Cardiff, and scored a goal - taking his season's tally to 10 goals
He was named FIFPro Special Young Player of the Year 2005, the only award to be voted for by fans. He received the same accolade the following year in 2006. He was also ranked 20th in the FIFA Player of the Year 2005 standings.

Despite the World Cup Incident, Ronaldo remained popular with the majority of Manchester United fans when he played (and scored) in his first Premiership match since the 2006 World Cup. Manchester United fans could clearly be heard chanting "there's only one Ronaldo" at various points in the game, in a 5-1 win over Fulham F.C]

He won the FA Premier League Player of the Month for November 2006. During a match with Middlesbrough F.C, he was criticised for diving by rival manager Gareth Southgate.
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