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Cristiano Ronaldo

Personal information
Full name	Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro
Height	1.84 m (6 ft 1⁄2 in)
Position(s)	Right/Left Winger Forward
Team information
Current team	Manchester United
Number	7
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of March 28, 2007

Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro, OIH (pron. IPA or ), (born 5 February, 1985), better known as Cristiano Ronaldo, is a professional Portuguese footballer, who plays for Manchester United F.C. and Portugal.

Biography

Cristiano Ronaldo was born in Madeira, Portugal, to his mother Maria Dolores dos Santos Aveiro and his father José Dinis Aveiro. He grew up with a elder brother Hugo, and two elder sisters, Elma and Katia. Katia works as a singer by the stage name "Ronalda" in Portugal. His second name ("Ronaldo") is relatively rare in Portugal. His parents named him after former U.S. 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 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 Clube de Portugal 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 (Ronaldo was handed the No. 7 shirt on his arrival, a shirt number that has belonged to some of the biggest Manchester United legends like George Best, Brian 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 for United and can play on either wing.

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. 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 received the same accolade the following year in 2006. 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.

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 Portuguese 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 successive 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.

As the end of each season approached, particularly in 2006 and 2007, it became traditional for rumours to start floating that Ronaldo was unsettled at Manchester United and wanted to play for Real Madrid - the rumours frequently originating from the board of Real Madrid who were reported in April 2007 to be willing to pay an unprecedented €80 million (£54 million) for Ronaldo. At the beginning of March 2007 however, Ronaldo, as well as Manchester United, confirmed that they would be negotiating an extension to his current contract. On 13 April, 2007, Ronaldo signed a five-year, £120,000-a-week deal with United, making him the highest-paid player in United's history. He said, "I am very happy at the club and I want to win trophies and hopefully we will do that this season."

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 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 incident

On 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. 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 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." 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.

Personal life

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.

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.

Cristiano opened fashion shop "CR7" to his hometown Funchal in February, 2006. His elder sisters are the manager in the shop.

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 15 April 2007)

References

1. "2006 FIFA World Cup Germany - Player Profile Page - CRISTIANO RONALDO - Portugal". FIFAworldcup.com. Retrieved 2006-07-10.
2. Duncan White (2006-06-21). "Ronaldo holds back the tears". Telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 2006-07-10. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
3. ^ "Cristiano Ronaldo Biography". christianoronaldo101.com. Retrieved 2007-04-16.
4. "I never wanted the No7 shirt". The Sun. 2007-04-12. Retrieved 2007-04-16. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
5. Simon Stone (2006-06-23). "van Nistelrooy plays down rumours of Ronaldo Dispute". The Independent. Retrieved 2006-07-11.
6. "Ronaldo's top dog in the Premiership - and there are monthly awards for Convey, Carey and Hawley too". GiveMeFootball.com. 2006-04-03. Retrieved 2006-07-11. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
7. "Ronaldo ban after finger gesture". BBC. 2006-02-03. Retrieved 2006-07-11. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
8. "Scolari wants Ronaldo to cool it". Soccernet. 2006-06-04. Retrieved 2006-07-11. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
9. "Ronaldo antics angers Southgate". BBC Sport. 2006-12-03. Retrieved 2006-02-11. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
10. "Sir Alex: Ron will win bet". Manutd.com. 2006-12-30. Retrieved 2006-12-31. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
11. "Ronaldo lands back-to-back accolades". inthenews.com. Retrieved 2007-01-12.
12. "Ronaldo wins monthly award again". BBC Sport.
13. "Diving row reopens FA debate over retrospective punishment". The Guardian. 2007-02-06. Retrieved 2007-02-11. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
14. "Real ready to offer £54m to secure Ronaldo". The Guardian. 2007-04-12. Retrieved 2007-04-15. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
15. "Ferguson lets rip at Madrid after Ronaldo signs £31m deal". The Times. 2007-04-14. Retrieved 2007-04-16. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
16. "Ronaldo signs new deal at Man Utd". BBC. 2007-04-13. Retrieved 2007-04-16. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
17. Collett, Mike. "Scolari delighted with Portugal victory over Brazil". The Guardian.
18. "Ronaldo intends to leave Man Utd". BBC. 2006-07-08. Retrieved 2006-07-08. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
19. "Cristiano Ronaldo plans Real move". Reuters. 2006-06-28. Retrieved 2006-07-10. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
20. Luis Arroyave (2006-07-02). "Beckham gives up armband". The Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2006-07-10. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
21. "British press bids Eriksson `good riddance'". Associated Press. 2006-07-02. Retrieved 2006-07-10. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
22. Tim Spanton. "Give Ron one in the eye". The Sun. Retrieved 2006-07-10.
23. Tim Spanton (2006-07-02). "Ronaldo: I never asked for Rooney red card". The Sun. Retrieved 2006-07-10. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
24. Matt Barlow (2006-07-04). "Rooney Thanks Team-mates". Sporting Life. Retrieved 2006-07-06. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
25. "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)
26. youtube.com. "Portugal have a Dive". Retrieved 2006-07-20.
27. Mike Hytner (2006-07-06). "Diving threatens to ruin game". Eurosport. Retrieved 2006-07-10. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
28. John Haydon (2006-07-06). "Semifinal act". The Washington Times. Retrieved 2006-07-06. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
29. Martyn Ziegler (2006-07-05). "NO FOND FAREWELL FOR SCOLARI". Sporting Life. Retrieved 2006-07-10. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
30. Bruce Crumley (2006-07-05). "Hungry to the final whistle". Time. Retrieved 2006-07-06. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
31. 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)
32. 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)
33. 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)
34. "Supporters 'hijack' Ronaldo vote". BBC. 2006-07-06. Retrieved 2006-07-10. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
35. "Podolski beats Ronaldo to award". BBC. 2006-07-07. Retrieved 2006-07-10. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
36. "United Won't Listen to Ronaldo Offers". ESPNsoccernet. 2006-07-12. Retrieved 2006-07-12. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
37. "Fergie: Ronaldo will be back". FoxSoccer.com. 2006-07-12. Retrieved 2006-07-17. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
38. "Ferguson sends Man Utd No2 Queiroz to Ronaldo meeting". Tribal Football. 2006-07-11. Retrieved 2006-07-11. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
39. "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)
40. "Ronaldo will not face rape charge". BBC. 2005-11-24. Retrieved 2006-07-10. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
41. "Cristiano Ronaldo: "United can win the title"". FIFA.com. 2005-02-28. Retrieved 2006-07-10. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
42. 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)
43. "Ronaldo will wait on United deal". Soccernet. 2005-06-23. Retrieved 2006-07-10. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)

External links

• Cristiano Ronaldo at Soccerbase
• Official 2006 FIFA World Cup profile
• Official Manchester United profile
• Cristiano Ronaldo at IMDb
• 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

Template:Link FA

• 1985 births
• Portugal international footballers
• FIFA World Cup 2006 players
• 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
• Roman Catholics
• Portuguese Liga footballers
• People from Madeira
• Premier League players