Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro,

( born 5 February 1985), better known as
Cristiano Ronaldo, is a professional Portuguese footballer, who plays
for Manchester United F.C. and Portugal. He is considered to be one of
the most talented players in the modern game.

Biography

was born in Funchal, Madeira, Portugal, to his mother
Maria Dolores dos Santos Aveiro and his father José Dinis Aveiro. He
grew up with a brother, Hugo, and two sisters, Elma and Katia. His
second name ("Ronaldo") is relatively rare in Portugal. His parents
named him after former US president Ronald Reagan because he was his
father's favourite actor, and not for political reasons.

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. 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
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 2 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 Lisbon beat Manchester United 3–1 in the inauguration of the Alvalade XXI 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.

Manchester United Ferguson decided that he wanted the youngster for his team, who were in
the market for a right-sided midfielder with the departure of David Beckham to Real Madrid; Cristiano was signed for a fee of £12.24 million. He made his debut for Manchester United as a 60th minute
substitute against Bolton Wanderers 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 and Ronaldo's contributions were hyped everywhere,with certain British tabloids running headlines such as Seven Heaven.He has played primarily as a winger for United and can play on either wing.

However for all his skill and pace, Ronaldo supposedly did not want the pressure of living up to expectations with this number, and so initially asked for the number 28 which he wore at Sporting.Preferring a free role, he has often been accused of being selfish. A row between him and Ruud van Nistelrooy at the Carrington training ground intensified speculation about their
roles at the club.Ferguson has however put his faith with Ronaldo,who signed a new deal with United that will last through 2010. Ronaldo is also quoted in the Manchester Evening News as saying "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 "one-fingered gesture" towards Benfica fans in a UEFA Champions League match in December 2005.[5] While playing for Portugal in a friendly against Luxembourg 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.

On the 29 October 2005 Ronaldo scored Manchester United's 1000th Premiership goal, in a 4–1 loss at the hands of Middlesbrough. He bagged a double double in February, with two goals at home to Fulham and another pair at Fratton Park, and also scored in the following Premiership game against Wigan taking his tally to 8 Premiership goals.On 26 February 2006, Ronaldo played in the Carling 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 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. Since then, a BBC report stated that Ronaldo has said he no longer wishes to leave Manchester United, and is happy to remain at the club. He won the Barclays Player of the Month for November 2006. During a match with Middlesbrough F.C, he was criticised for diving by rival manager Gareth Southgate.

By December 2006, Ronaldo had become one of United's most influential players, scoring six goals in 3 league games to bring his overall tally up to 12 goals. He came on at half-time as a substitute against Wigan Athletic and immediately stamped his influence on the match with 2
goals in the space of a few minutes. Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson concedes he would lose his wager with the Portugese in his current form after setting a target of 15 goals for the season. The Scot remarked that he was "pleased for him because he works hard at his game. He's still learning the game. His ability to pass the ball has helped him this season. His passing has been very good. That just shows he is maturing. He's been fantastic, and he's getting better all the
time."

In January 2007, Ronaldo was awarded the Barclays Player of the Month
Award for the second sucessive month, becoming the third ever player in
the Premiership to do so (after Arsenal's Dennis Bergkamp in 1997 and
Robbie Fowler in 1996). On February 4, 2007 in a match against
Tottenham Hotspur F.C., Ronaldo was caught in yet another diving
controversy, after winning United a controversial penalty despite
seeming to receive little or no contact from Tottenham's Steed
Malbranque

International careerRonaldo made his international debut in August 2003, against
Kazakhstan. He scored Portugal's only goal in their 2–1 loss to Greece
in the opening match of Euro 2004 and the first goal of the semi final
against the Netherlands, which Portugal won 2–1. The final saw a
rematch of the opening game of the tournament, and again, Greece
emerged victorious.

Ronaldo represented Portugal at the 2004 Summer Olympics, and was the
second highest scorer in FIFA World Cup qualification in the European
zone with 7 goals. As of 17 June 2005, he has scored 11 goals in 25
appearances for his country.
Ronaldo scored his first World Cup goal against Iran with a penalty
kick.In the Round of 16, he left Portugal's 1-0 win over Netherlands injured
after a high tackle by Khalid Boulahrouz.

Ronaldo was named the national team captain for the first time in a
friendly match against Brazil on February 6, 2007, a day after his 22nd
birthday. This move was in honor of Carlos Silva, the Portuguese
Football Federation president who had died two days before. Scolari
explained, "Mr Silva asked me to make him captain as a gesture. He
thought the English fans would give him a difficult time and this was a
response. He is too young to be captain, but Mr Silva asked me, and now
he is no longer with us."

World Cup incidentOn 8 July 2006, after the sending off of United team-mate Wayne Rooney
in the Quarter Final of the 2006 World Cup between England and
Portugal, and after much speculation in the English media that he had
influenced Rooney's red card, Ronaldo told reporters that he thought he
"should get out of Manchester as the circumstances are not right to
keep playing there."

"I have told my agent I am prepared to leave. I want to do it in the
best manner possible. I want to play for Real Madrid and dream of doing
so," Ronaldo allegedly told the Spanish sports daily Marca.
On 9 July, he also told SIC, a Portuguese television channel, he cannot
understand all verbal violence and pejorative speculation about him.
Ronaldo declared he did not behave wrongly when Portugal defeated
England and so cannot be blamed for defending his home country colours.
He added that he cannot live and work in a place where people do not
like him, so he would be glad to move out of England.

After England's elimination Ronaldo was attacked by the English
tabloids. The Sun made a dart board with a picture of his wink in a
similar fashion to the one made after the 1998 World Cup for David
Beckham by The Daily Mirror, another English tabloid.
Ronaldo has said that Rooney was a friend, and that he was not trying
to get Rooney a red card. Rooney said, "I bear no ill feeling to
Cristiano but am disappointed that he chose to get involved."
Wayne Rooney was investigated by FIFA's disciplinary committee after
being sent off during England's World Cup quarter-final defeat against
Portugal, banned for two competitive matches and fined 5,000 Swiss
francs (£2,207).

After the match Ronaldo admitted reports that Real Madrid were interested in him were correct, and was now more likely to go to the Spanish club or elsewhere over the summer transfer period.
On July 5, in the semi-final against France, which Portugal lost 1-0,Ronaldo was loudly booed each time he had possession of the ball, by French and English fans alike. Though generally considered the best player on the pitch during the match, several reports accused Ronaldo (and other members of his side) of trying to influence the referee by diving.There have been similar accusations in the
past, and Ronaldo has been booked for the offence more than once in the English Premiership.Shortly after he dropped back to second place in the online voting for Best Young Player, it was
reported by BBC Sport that this was partly because of an email campaign by an England supporter urging people to vote for Luis Valencia, who was the second place player to prevent Ronaldo from winning the award.Though the online vote only affected the nomination process,FIFA Technical Study Group awarded the honours to Germany's Lukas Podolski, citing Ronaldo's behaviour as a factor.

On July 12, United released a statement saying "The club can confirmthere is no possibility of Cristiano being sold. Cristiano recently signed a new contract until 2010 and the club fully expects him to honour that contract. The club will not listen to any offers for Cristiano," and on July 17, Sir Alex Ferguson said, "Cristiano will be coming back," while Chelsea manager José Mourinho said, "If he stays in England, I think he can turn things around." In addition, Sir Alex Ferguson sent assistant boss Carlos Queiroz to Portugal, hoping to change the young player's mind, and Rooney pleaded with Ronaldo not to leave the team, and to let their differences rest.Ultimately,Ronaldo stayed at Manchester United for the 2006-07 season.Private lifeHis father, Dinis Aveiro died on September 7, 2005. Ronaldo played in a World Cup qualifier against Russia only hours after receiving the
news. He was also granted compassionate leave by Sir Alex Ferguson and missed the Manchester derby against Manchester City on September 10. However, he declared himself available for Manchester United's next match in the UEFA Champions League, against Villarreal CF.

In October 2005, Ronaldo and another man were questioned by police for an alleged sexual assault. Ronaldo denied the accusation and the Crown Prosecution Service stated there was insufficient evidence to press charges.

Private Life

Cristiano was previously linked with Merche Romero (an Andorran TV
anchorwoman working in Portugal. She is adivorcee, 9-years older than Ronaldo, she confirmed (see Portuguese magazine Lux of August 2006)
the relationship in the Portuguese press, although Ronaldo has never confirmed or denied the relationship, as he chooses to keep his
personal life private and separated from his professional life. More recently, the Portuguese media have reported that the relationship has
ended. Neither Cristiano nor Merche were available to comment on the reports; however, a friend of the presenter told Spanish reporters that
the relationship is over and that Merche is devastated. On September 20, 2006 it was confirmed, by Merche, that she and Cristiano had indeed broken up.

In the past, Ronaldo has dated the model Jordana Jardel and has dated
Merche Romero. During the time he was dating the two, he didn't deny
his relationships nor did he support them. Recently Gemma Atkinson (Soapstar Superstar and Hollyoaks: In the City star claimed that she and Ronaldo have been dating, after the two met
at a party. But in a recent interview, the soap star revealed she and
Ronaldo were not dating.

Contribution to society

Ronaldo has done charity work, as well as flying out Martunis, an
11-year-old Indonesian tsunami survivor and his father to attend one of
their World Cup qualifiers in June 2005; covering all their expenses.
Subsequently all the players contributed money to buy them a house in
Indonesia.

After the two World Cup qualifiers, Ronaldo flew to Indonesia to visit
the areas affected by the tsunami and to raise funds. He met the Vice
President of the Indonesian Republic Jusuf Kalla and the President of
East Timor Xanana Gusmão, and raised £66,000 (about $120,000 USD) by
auctioning off his personal sports gear in Jakarta, Indonesia.
Ronaldo currently has a £2 million house in Woodford, Greater
Manchester.