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Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro, OIH (pron. IPA or ), (born 5 February, 1985), better known as Cristiano Ronaldo, is a Portuguese professional football player, who plays for Manchester United F.C. and Portugal, and is considered one of the finest young talents today.

Biography

Cristiano Ronaldo 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

Ronaldo first 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 CP. 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 Lisbon who subsequently signed him for an undisclosed sum.

Sporting Lisbon

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 Lisbon 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 duly converted. 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 often 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. 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.

On 8 July 2006, after the sending off of United team-mate Wayne Rooney, 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 said for 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.

Several news sources considered that Cristiano Ronaldo's departure from Manchester United was imminent, however, Ronaldo chose to remain at United. His decision may have been influenced by Sir Alex Ferguson, who sent assistant boss Carlos Queiroz to Portugal hoping to change the young player's mind, and teammate Wayne Rooney also pleaded with Ronaldo not to leave the team and to let their differences rest.

On July 12, United released a statement saying "The club can confirm there 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." Cristiano Ronaldo returned to United after all potential problems were cleared.

Nevertheless, 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 continued his fine world cup form in to the start of the season, netting 4 goals in just 11 premiership games, including a fine free-kick againt Portsmouth FC Old Trafford in front of 76,004 people.

International career

Ronaldo 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 recovered in time to play in the quarter-final of the competition against England on 1 July, 2006, scoring the final penalty shoot-out that sealed the Portuguese victory. However, Ronaldo was widely criticised for his gamesmanship by the English Press. England's Wayne Rooney stamped on Portuguese defender Ricardo Carvalho's groin after a struggle for the ball. Ronaldo, Rooney's Manchester United team-mate, then sprinted over to appeal to the referee. Rooney pushed Ronaldo before receiving a red card. Former England striker and TV pundit Alan Shearer suggested Rooney might "stick one on Ronaldo" when the two meet again. BBC pundit Gary Lineker showed viewers footage of Ronaldo winking at the Portuguese bench after Rooney was sent off. Also before the match, Ronaldo was seen to whisper something in Rooney’s ear as he walked by him, with a headbutt feint from behind. Ronaldo's behaviour in the match also came under fire from several England players, most notably Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard. In their respective autobiographies, Gerrard claimed that 'a dark side stains Cristiano Ronaldo's game', whilst Lampard said Ronaldo's actions made him 'sick'.

Sven-Göran Eriksson told reporters that the referee Horacio Elizondo explained after the match that the red card was for the initial challenge on Carvalho. Elizondo confirmed the initial story told by Eriksson to the The Times, saying "It was violent play and therefore he got a red card. People can say what they want (about Ronaldo) but this had absolutely no influence. For me it was a clear red card, so I didn't react to the Portuguese players." Portuguese keeper Ricardo backed Ronaldo, saying: "There always has to be a scapegoat when someone loses… I don't think influenced the referee. The referee was right on top of it."

Ronaldo said, "I complained to the referee about the foul but I didn't ask for a red card". After the match he 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.

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 pounds).

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. At the end of the match, he broke down in tears for his loss. 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.

Private life

His 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.

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.

Cristiano was previously linked with Merche Romero (a Spanish TV anchorwoman working in Portugal. She is a divorcee, 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, sister of Brazilian footballer Mario Jardel, model Lauren Frain, and Christina Carlos.
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.

Career stats

(Correct as of 21 October 2006)

Trivia

• He was named the sexiest player of Euro 2004 and World Cup 2006 by Gay Krant, a Dutch gay magazine.
• His nickname as a pre-teen was "Kluivert".
• He endorses Nike, Pepe Jeans, Extra Joss (Indonesian energy drink) and Suzuki cars (although he drives a black BMW).
• He appears on the cover of the video game FIFA Street 2.
• His name Ronaldo is from Ronald Reagan who was his late father's favorite actor.
• His childhood team was Sport Lisboa e Benfica.
• His childhood hero was Maradona.
• His current heroes are (former) Portugal teammate Luís Figo and Thierry Henry.
• He is a socío (member) of his hometown team, CS Marítimo, the team he now supports.
• He is good friends with Madeira's controversial regional governor, Alberto João Jardim.
• Growing up in Lisbon he was teased for his Madeiran accent

References

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10. "Comment: Pack your bags, now Ronaldo !". Manchester Evening News. 2006-07-10. Retrieved 2006-07-11. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
11. "Ronaldo claims are an insult to Ferguson". Square Football. 2006-07-10. Retrieved 2006-07-11. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
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14. "Rooney pleads with Ronaldo not to quit Man Utd". Tribal Football. 2006-07-09. Retrieved 2006-07-11. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
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17. Jonathan Northcroft (2006-07-02). "Ronaldo, the problem child". Times Online. Retrieved 2006-07-12. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
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20. "Ronaldo's WC to bring trouble at club". Associated Press. 2006-07-03. Retrieved 2006-07-10. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
21. "World-Ronaldo's future at Manchester United in doubt". Reuters. 2006-07-01. Retrieved 2006-07-10. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
22. Luis Arroyave (2006-07-02). "Beckham gives up armband". The Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2006-07-10. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
23. "British press bids Eriksson `good riddance'". Associated Press. 2006-07-02. Retrieved 2006-07-10. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
24. Tim Spanton. "Give Ron one in the eye". The Sun. Retrieved 2006-07-10.
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26. Matt Barlow (2006-07-04). "Rooney Thanks Team-mates". Sporting Life. Retrieved 2006-07-06. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
27. youtube.com. "Portugal have a Dive". Retrieved 2006-07-20.
28. Mike Hytner (2006-07-06). "Diving threatens to ruin game". Eurosport. Retrieved 2006-07-10. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
29. John Haydon (2006-07-06). "Semifinal act". The Washington Times. Retrieved 2006-07-06. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
30. Martyn Ziegler (2006-07-05). "NO FOND FAREWELL FOR SCOLARI". Sporting Life. Retrieved 2006-07-10. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
31. Bruce Crumley (2006-07-05). "Hungry to the final whistle". Time. Retrieved 2006-07-06. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
32. Henry Winter (2005-04-18). "Ferguson's men script a showdown". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 2006-07-06. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
33. Roy Collins (2004-01-18). "Wolves turn the tables on United". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 2006-07-06. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
34. Tim Rich (2005-04-18). "Two sent off as United receive history lesson". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 2006-07-06. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
35. "Supporters 'hijack' Ronaldo vote". BBC. 2006-07-06. Retrieved 2006-07-10. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
36. "Podolski beats Ronaldo to award". BBC. 2006-07-07. Retrieved 2006-07-10. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
37. "Scolari praises grieving Ronaldo". BBC. 2005-09-08. Retrieved 2006-07-10. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
38. "Ronaldo will not face rape charge". BBC. 2005-11-24. Retrieved 2006-07-10. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
39. "Cristiano Ronaldo: "United can win the title"". FIFA.com. 2005-02-28. Retrieved 2006-07-10. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
40. Dyah Ayu Wanodyasari (2005-06-27). "Revisit the Tsunami Victim: a Little Miracle for Little Martunis". Blogcritics.org. Retrieved 2006-07-10. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
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External links

• Official 2006 FIFA World Cup profile
• Official Manchester United profile
• Cristiano Ronaldo at IMDb
• Useful Cristiano Ronaldo Links
• Cristiano Ronaldo Player Profile from Carling

v t e Portugal squad – 2006 FIFA World Cup fourth place
1 Ricardo 2 Ferreira 3 Caneira 4 R. Costa 5 Meira 6 Costinha 7 Figo (c) 8 Petit 9 Pauleta 10 Viana 11 Simão 12 Quim 13 Miguel 14 Valente 15 Boa Morte 16 R. Carvalho 17 Ronaldo 18 Maniche 19 Tiago 20 Deco 21 N. Gomes 22 Santos 23 Postiga Coach: Scolari

• 1985 births
• FIFA World Cup 2006 players
• FIFA World Cup goalscorers
• Footballers at the 2004 Summer Olympics
• Football (soccer) wingers
• Living people
• Manchester United F.C. players
• Olympic competitors for Portugal
• Portuguese footballers
• Sporting Lisbon players
• UEFA Euro 2004 players
• UEFA European Football Championship goalscorers
• Roman Catholics
• Portuguese Liga footballers
• People of Madeira