Cristiano Ronaldo - Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia

Cristiano Ronaldo playing for Portugal in 2013

Personal information

Full name Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro

Date of birth 5 February 1985

Place of birth Funchal, Madeira, Portugal

Height 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)[1]

Playing position Forward

Club information

Current club Real Madrid

Number 7

Youth career

19931995 Andorinha

19951997 Nacional

19972002 Sporting CP

Senior career*

Years Team Apps (Gls)

20022003 Sporting CP 25 (3)

20032009 Manchester United 196 (84)

2009 Real Madrid 159 (171)

National team

20012002 Portugal U17 9 (6)

20022003 Portugal U20 5 (3)

2003 Portugal U21 6 (1)

2004 Portugal U23 3 (1)

2003 Portugal 110 (49)

Competitor for Portugal

Association football

Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano RonaldoFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (Redirected from Christiano)

Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro,[2] OIH (born 5 February1985),[3] known as Cristiano Ronaldo, is a Portuguese footballerwho plays as a forward for Spanish club Real Madrid and captainsthe Portugal national team. He became the most expensive footballerin history when he moved from Manchester United to Real Madrid in2009 in a transfer worth 80 million (94 million/$131.6 million).Ronaldo's contract with Real Madrid, under the terms of which he ispaid 21 million per year (after taxes), makes him the highest-paidfootballer in the world,[4] and his buyout clause is valued at1 billion as per his contract.[5]

Ronaldo began his career as a youth player for Andorinha, where heplayed for two years, before moving to C.D. Nacional. In 1997, hemade a move to Portuguese giants Sporting Clube de Portugal.Ronaldo caught the attention of Manchester United manager AlexFerguson, who signed him for 12.24 million (15 million) in 2003.In 2004, Ronaldo won his first club honour, the FA Cup.

Ronaldo was the first player playing in England to win all four mainPFA and FWA awards, doing so in 2007. In 2008 and 2013, Ronaldowon the FIFA/Ballon d'Or award for the best footballer on the planet,being the first ever Portuguese to win the award twice.[6][7] He wasawarded the European Golden Shoe in both 2008 and 2011. In 2008,he won three of the four main PFA and FWA trophies and was namedthe FIFA World Player of the Year, FIFPro Player of the Year, WorldSoccer Player of the Year, and the Onze d'Or.[8][9][10] In 2007 and2008, Ronaldo was named FWA Footballer of the Year. Ronaldo wasthe inaugural winner of the FIFA Pusks Award for the Goal of theYear in 2009.

Ronaldo is the first top European league player to reach 40 goals in asingle season in two consecutive years, fastest Real Madrid player toreach one hundred league goals, and the first player ever to scoreagainst every team in a single season in La Liga.[11] He also holds therecord for most goals scored in a season for Real Madrid. In January2014, Ronaldo scored his 400th career goal.[12] After spending hisfirst year at Madrid wearing the number 9 shirt, he began wearing thenumber 7 again following the departure of long-serving striker Ral.Ronaldo had previously worn the number 7 shirt at ManchesterUnited.

Ronaldo is a Portuguese international and made his debut in August2003. He has been capped over 100 times and is his country's topgoalscorer of all time. With Portugal he has participated in five majortournaments; UEFA Euro 2004, the 2006 FIFA World Cup, UEFAEuro 2008, the 2010 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2012. Hescored his first international goal in the opening game of Euro 2004against Greece, in addition to helping Portugal reach the final. Hetook over the captaincy of the side in July 2008 and went on tocaptain Portugal to the semi-finals at Euro 2012 and finished thecompetition as the joint-top scorer.

Contents

Honours

Cristiano Ronaldo - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christiano

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UEFA European Championship

Silver Portugal 2004

Bronze Poland & Ukraine 2012

* Senior club appearances and goals counted for thedomestic league only and correct as of 20:57, 15 March

2014 (UTC).

Appearances (Goals).

National team caps and goals correct as of 5 March2014 (UTC)

1 Early life2 Club career

2.1 Early career2.2 Sporting CP2.3 Manchester United

2.3.1 200320062.3.2 20062009

2.4 Real Madrid2.4.1 200910 season2.4.2 201011 season2.4.3 201112 season2.4.4 201213 season2.4.5 201314 season

3 International career3.1 Euro 2004 and 2004 Summer Olympics3.2 2006 World Cup

3.2.1 Post-World Cup3.3 Euro 2008 and 2010 World Cup3.4 Euro 20123.5 2014 World Cup cycle

4 Style of play5 Outside football

5.1 Personal life5.2 Philanthropy5.3 Wealth5.4 Sponsorships5.5 Fashion5.6 Media

6 Career statistics6.1 Club6.2 International

6.2.1 International goals7 Honours

7.1 Club7.2 International7.3 Individual

7.3.1 Orders7.4 Records

7.4.1 World7.4.2 Europe7.4.3 England7.4.4 Spain7.4.5 Portugal7.4.6 Real Madrid

8 References9 External links

Early life

Ronaldo was born in Santo Antnio, a neighbourhood of Funchal, Madeira, the youngest child of Maria Dolores dos SantosAveiro, a cook, and Jos Dinis Aveiro, a municipal gardener.[13] His second given name "Ronaldo" was chosen afterthen-U.S. president Ronald Reagan, who was his father's favourite actor. He has one older brother, Hugo, and two oldersisters, Elma and Liliana Ctia.[3] His great-grandmother Isabel da Piedade was from Cape Verde.[14]

The family was staunchly Catholic and Ronaldo later claimed that he lived in poverty, sharing a room with his brother and


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Ronaldo playing against Chelsea inApril 2006.

sisters.[15] Ronaldo was popular with other students at school, but he was expelled after he threw a chair at his teacher.Ronaldo later said of the incident: "He disrespected me."[16] At the age of 14, Ronaldo agreed with his mother to then focusentirely on football.[16]

Club career

Early career

At the age of eight, Ronaldo played for amateur team Andorinha, where his father was the kit man. In 1995, Ronaldosigned with local club Nacional, and, after a title-winning campaign, he went on a three-day trial with Sporting CP, whosubsequently signed him for an undisclosed sum.[17]

Sporting CP

Ronaldo joined Sporting's other youth players who trained at the Academia Sporting, the club's football academy, inAlcochete. He became the only player ever to play for Sporting's under-16, under-17, under-18, B-team, and the first team,all within one season.[18] He scored two goals in his league debut on 7 October 2002, which Sporting CP won 30 againstMoreirense, while featuring for Portugal in the 2002 European Under-17 Championship.[19]

At the age of 15 Ronaldo was diagnosed with a racing heart, a condition that might have forced him to give up playingfootball. The Sporting staff were made aware of the condition and Ronaldo's mother gave her authorisation for him to gointo hospital.[20] While there, he had an operation in which a laser was used to cauterise the area of his heart that wascausing the problem. The surgery took place in the morning and Ronaldo was discharged from hospital by the end of theafternoon; he resumed training only a few days later.[21]

In November 2002, Ronaldo was invited to Arsenal's training ground, London Colney to meet manager Arsne Wenger andhis coaching staff.[22] Wenger, who was interested in signing the midfielder, had arranged to meet Ronaldo'srepresentatives, Formation (who suggested the player originally to Grard Houllier, then Liverpool's manager and JoanLaporta, then Barcelona's president) in the subsequent months to discuss a transfer arrangement.[23][24] However he cameto the attention of Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson in the summer of 2003, when Sporting defeated United 31in the inauguration of the Estdio Jos Alvalade in Lisbon. Ronaldo's performance impressed the Manchester Unitedplayers, who urged Ferguson to sign him.[25]

On April 2013, Ronaldo was honoured by Sporting as the club announced that the player had become their 100,000thmember.[26]

Manchester United

20032006

Ronaldo became Manchester United's first-ever Portuguese player when he signedfor 15 million[27] (12.24 million) after the 200203 season.[28] He requested thenumber 28 (his number at Sporting), as he did not want the pressure of living up tothe expectation linked to the number 7 shirt, which had previously been worn byplayers such as Johnny Berry, George Best, Steve Coppell, Bryan Robson, EricCantona and David Beckham, and subsequently worn by Michael Owen andAntonio Valencia. "After I joined, the manager asked me what number I'd like. Isaid 28. But Ferguson said 'No, you're going to have No. 7,' and the famous shirtwas an extra source of motivation. I was forced to live up to such an honour."[29]

Ronaldo made his team debut as a 60th-minute substitute in a 40 home victoryover Bolton Wanderers. He scored his first goal for Manchester United with a freekick in a 30 win over Portsmouth on 1 November 2003. Ronaldo ended his firstseason in English football by scoring the opening goal in United's 30 FA Cup final victory over Millwall.[30]

He scored United's 1000th Premier League goal on 29 October 2005 in a 41 loss to Middlesbrough.[31] He scored tengoals in all competitions, and fans voted him to his first FIFPro Special Young Player of the Year award in 2005.


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Ronaldo with United during their200607 season.

Ronaldo (left) and CarlosTevez prior to a ChampionsLeague match.

He was sent off in the Manchester derby at the City of Manchester Stadium on 14 January 2006 (a game which United lost31) for kicking City's former United player Andrew Cole.[32] Ronaldo won his second trophy in English football in the200506 season, scoring the third goal in Manchester United's 40 Football League Cup final victory over WiganAthletic.[33]

20062009

The 20062007 season proved to be the breakout year for Ronaldo, as he broke the20 goal barrier for the first time and picked up his first league title with ManchesterUnited. An important factor in this success was his one-to-one training by first teamcoach Ren Meulensteen. Meulensteen coached him in moves to make himselfmore unpredictable. He also helped him to work better with his team-mates, callingfor the ball and scoring more 'ugly' goals instead of waiting for the special occasionwhen he could score the 'beautiful' goals for which he was already famous.[34]

In November and December 2006, Ronaldo received consecutive Barclays Player ofthe Month honours, becoming only the third player in Premier League history to doso after Dennis Bergkamp in 1997 and Robbie Fowler in 1996.[35][36] He scored his50th Manchester United goal against city rivals Manchester City on 5 May 2007 asUnited claimed their first Premier League title in four years, and he was voted into his second consecutive FIFPro SpecialYoung Player of the Year award at the end of the year.

Despite rumours circulating in March 2007 that Real Madrid were willing to pay an unprecedented 80 million(54 million) for Ronaldo,[37] he signed a five-year, 120,000-a-week (31 million total) extension with United on 13April, making him the highest-paid player in team history.[38][39]

Ronaldo amassed a host of personal awards for the season. He won the PFA Players' Player of the Year and PFA YoungPlayer of the Year awards, joining Andy Gray (in 1977) as the only players to receive this honour.[40] In April, hecompleted the treble by winning the PFA Fans' Player of the Year. He also won the FWA Footballer of the Year, becomingthe first player to win all four main PFA and FWA awards. Ronaldo was also one of eight Manchester United playersnamed in the 200607 PFA Premier League Team of the Year.

Ronaldo's 200708 season began with a red card for a headbutt on Portsmouth playerRichard Hughes during United's second match of the season, for which he was punishedwith a three-match ban.[41] Ronaldo said he had "learned a lot" from the experience andwould not let players "provoke" him in the future.[42] After scoring the only goal in aChampions League away match against Sporting, Ronaldo also scored the injury-timewinner in the return fixture as Manchester United topped their Champions Leaguegroup.[43]

He finished as the runner-up to Kak for the 2007 Ballon d'Or,[44] and was third in therunning for the FIFA World Player of the Year award, behind Kak and Lionel Messi.[45]

Ronaldo scored his first hat-trick for Manchester United in a 60 win against NewcastleUnited at Old Trafford on 12 January 2008, bringing Manchester United up to the top of thePremier League table.[46] He scored his twenty-third league goal of the season in a 20 winagainst Reading, equalling his entire total for the 200607 season.[47] During a 11Champions League first knockout round draw against Lyon on 20 February, an unidentifiedLyon supporter continuously aimed a green laser at Ronaldo and United teammate Nani,prompting an investigation by UEFA.[48] One month later, Lyon were fined CHF5,000(2,427) for the incident.[49]

On 19 March 2008, Ronaldo captained United for the first time in his career in a home winover Bolton, scoring both goals in the 20 victory.[50] The second of the goals was his 33rd

of the campaign, which set a new club single-season scoring record by a midfielder and thus topped George Best's forty-year-old total of 32 goals in the 196768 season.[51] Ronaldo scored another brace in a 40 win over Aston Villa on 29March, which at the time gave him 35 goals in 37 domestic and European matches as both a starter and substitute.Ronaldo's scoring streak was rewarded with his becoming the first winger to win the 200708 European Golden Shoe,


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Three-time Ballon d'Or winnerJohan Cruyff on the 23-year-oldRonaldo, April 2008.[53]

Ronaldo and ManchesterUnited against Albert Rieraand rivals Liverpool.

finishing eight points ahead of Mallorca's Dani Giza.[52]

In the 200708 Champions League final on 21 May against league rivals Chelsea,Ronaldo scored the opening goal after 26 minutes, which was negated by a Chelseaequaliser in the 45th minute as the match ended 11 after extra time. His misfire in thepenalty shoot-out put Chelsea in position to win the trophy, but John Terry shot wideright after slipping on the pitch surface, and Manchester United emerged victorious 65on penalties. Ronaldo was named the UEFA Fans' Man of the Match,[54] and wrappedup the campaign with a career-high 42 goals in all competitions, falling four short ofDenis Law's team-record mark of 46 in the 196364 season. In the Champions Leaguehe was also named best forward and player of the tournament and was thecompetition's top goalscorer.

On 5 June 2008, Sky Sports reported that Ronaldo hadexpressed an interest in moving to Real Madrid if they offered him the same amount ofmoney the team had allegedly promised him earlier in the year.[55] Manchester United fileda tampering complaint with FIFA on 9 June over Madrid's alleged pursuit of Ronaldo, butFIFA declined to take any action.[56][57] Speculation that a transfer would happen continueduntil 6 August, when Ronaldo confirmed that he would stay at United for at least anotheryear.[58]

Ronaldo underwent ankle surgery at the Academic Medical Center in Amsterdam on 7July.[59] He returned to action on 17 September in United's goalless UEFA ChampionsLeague group stage draw with Villarreal as a substitute for Park Ji-Sung,[60] and scored hisfirst goal of the season in a 31 League Cup third round win over Middlesbrough on 24September.

In a 50 win over Stoke City on 15 November 2008, Ronaldo scored his 100th and 101stgoals in all competitions for Manchester United, both from free kicks.[61] The goals alsomeant that Ronaldo had now scored against each of the other 19 teams in the Premier

League at the time.[62] On 2 December, Ronaldo became Manchester United's first Ballon d'Or recipient since George Bestin 1968. He finished with 446 points, 165 ahead of runner-up Lionel Messi.[63] He was awarded the Silver Ball afterfinishing with two goals as United won the Club World Cup on 19 December.[64]

On 8 January 2009, Ronaldo was uninjured in a single-car accident in which he wrote off his Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano in atunnel along the A538 near Manchester Airport. A breathalyser test he gave to police officers at the scene was negative,and he attended training later that morning.[65] Four days later, he became the first Premier League player ever to be namedthe FIFA World Player of the Year, in addition to being the first Portuguese player to win the award since Lus Figo in2001.[66]

Ronaldo scored his first Champions League goal of the season, and first since the final against Chelsea in a 20 victoryover Internazionale that sent United into the quarter-finals.[67] In the second leg against Porto, Ronaldo scored a 40-yardgame-winning goal as United advanced to the semi-finals. For this goal Ronaldo holds the distinction of being the firstplayer to win the FIFA Pusks Award, in 2009, an honour handed by FIFA to the best goal of the year.[68] He later called itthe best goal he had ever scored.[69][70] Ronaldo participated in his second consecutive Champions League final, but madelittle impact in United's 20 loss to Barcelona. He finished with 53 appearances in all competitions, which was four higherthan the previous year, but scored sixteen fewer goals (26) than his career-best total of 42 from the previous season.

On 11 June, Manchester United accepted an unconditional offer of 80 million from Real Madrid for Ronaldo after it wasrevealed that he again had expressed his desire to leave the club.[71] It was confirmed by a representative of the Glazerfamily that the sale was fully condoned by Ferguson.[72] When Ronaldo had eventually completed his transfer to Real, heexpressed his gratitude towards Ferguson for helping him develop as a player, saying, "He's been my father in sport, one ofthe most important factors and most influential in my career."[73]

Real Madrid

200910 season

Ronaldo is better thanGeorge Best and DenisLaw, who were twobrilliant and greatplayers in the history ofUnited.


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Alex Ferguson, after Ronaldo'stransfer to Real Madrid.[74]

Ronaldo and Real Madrid againstDiego Forln and city rivals AtlticoMadrid.

Ronaldo during a friendly gameagainst Pearol before the beginningof the season.

On 26 June 2009, Real Madrid confirmed that Ronaldo would join the club on 1July 2009 from Manchester United for 80 million (94 million) becoming themost expensive footballer in history,[75] after agreeing terms and signing asix-year contract.[76] Ronaldo's contract is worth 11 million per year[77] and ithas a 1 billion buy-out clause.[78] He was presented to the world media as aReal Madrid player on 6 July,[79] where he was handed the number 9 jersey.[80]

The shirt was presented to him by Madrid legend Alfredo Di Stfano.[81]

Ronaldo was welcomed by between 80,000 and 85,000 fans at his presentation atthe Santiago Bernabu Stadium, surpassing Diego Maradona's record of 75,000fans when he was presented in Italy, after he was transferred from Barcelona toNapoli in 1984.[82][83] The event was broadcast live on the Spanish andPortuguese public TV stations, RTVE and RTP respectively.[84][85]

Ronaldo made his Madrid debut on 21 July in a 10 win over Shamrock Rovers.His first goal came one week later with a penalty in Madrid's 42 win over LDUQuito.[86] On 29 August, Ronaldo capped his La Liga debut with a goal, scoringReal's second from the penalty spot in a 32 home win against Deportivo LaCorua.[87] On 15 September, Ronaldo scored two free-kicks in a 52 away victoryover Zrich, his first Champions League goals for Real.[88] He broke a Madrid clubrecord when he scored in a league match against Villarreal and thus became the firstever player to score in his first four La Liga appearances.[89]

An ankle injury suffered on 10 October, while Ronaldo was on international dutywith Portugal against Hungary, kept him out until 25 November, which in turncaused him to miss both of Madrid's Champions League group stage matchesagainst Milan.[citation needed] Ronaldo made his first post-injury start in a 10 El

Clsico defeat to Barcelona on 29 November. On 6 December, he was sent off for the first time in his Madrid career duringReal's 42 victory against Almera, a match which also saw him miss a penalty. He was carded first for removing his shirtduring a goal celebration, then for kicking out at an opponent three minutes later.[90]

Ronaldo was second in the 2009 FIFA World Player of the Year award and also second in the 2009 Ballon d'Or award. On5 May 2010, Ronaldo scored his first Real Madrid hat-trick in an away game against Mallorca. Ronaldo and GonzaloHiguan scored 53 league goals during the course of the season and became Real's highest scoring league duo in theirhistory.[91]

201011 season

With the departure of Ral during the summer of 2010, Ronaldo was handed the number 7 jersey for Real Madrid.[92] On23 October 2010, Ronaldo scored four goals against Racing de Santander,[93] the most goals he has ever scored in a singlematch.[94] This completed a goalscoring run of six consecutive matches (three in La Liga, one in the Champions League,and two for Portugal) in which Ronaldo scored in each match, totalling 11 goals, which is the most Ronaldo has scored in asingle month. Before Real Madrid's 50 defeat by Barcelona at the Camp Nou, Ronaldo scored his second La Liga hat-trickof the season in a 51 win over Athletic Bilbao.[95] His final match of the calendar year saw him score a hat-trick in a 80trashing of Levante in the Copa del Rey.[96]

Ronaldo began 2011 with a very promising outlook, especially after Real Madridacknowledged he had broken numerous goalscoring records, previously settled andheld by classic players such as Alfredo Di Stfano, Hugo Snchez, and ManuelAlday.[97][98] Ronaldo began his scoring spree by scoring two vital goals in a tight32 victory away to Getafe.[99] He then consolidated his massive performances byscoring a hat-trick and assisting Kak to score his first league goal after his returnfrom injury in a 42 victory over Villarreal on 9 January. On 3 March 2011,Ronaldo scored a hat-trick in a 70 trashing of Mlaga, but was affected by amuscle injury at the end of the match, which forced him to spend 10 days on thesidelines.

In April, he made another massive comeback from injury, sustaining a three-game

I have nothing but praise for theboy. He is easily the best playerin the world. His contributionas a goal threat is unbelievable.His stats are incredible. Strikesat goal, attempts on goal, raidsinto the penalty box, headers. Itis all there. Absolutelyastounding.


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Ronaldo against Tottenham's (andfuture team-mate) Gareth Bale in theUEFA Champions League.

scoring streak (including two goals in Champions League quarter-finals againstTottenham Hotspur), thus arriving to the first of a historical series of four El Clsicoencounters two goals short of breaking his personal record of 42 goals in allcompetitions in a single season, achieved at Manchester United in the 200708season.

During the second league edition of El Clsico, Ronaldo scored from the penaltyspot and took his tally to 41 goals, also taking his scoring streak to four games. On20 April, Ronaldo scored the winning goal against Barcelona in the 103rd minute ofthe Copa del Rey final.[100] This goal would later be chosen as both Ronaldo's andReal Madrid's best goal in the season by several fan polls, including those ofMarca[101] and Real Madrid's website.[102] 7 May saw Real travel to the RamnSnchez Pizjun to take on Sevilla, where Ronaldo led the thrashing of theAndalusian side, scoring four goals in a 62 victory. These four goals took him to 46 for the season which surpassed hisprevious record of 42 in a season playing for Manchester United.[103] Three days later he reached 49 goals for the season,by scoring another hat-trick in a 40 home win against Getafe. On 15 May, after scoring two free-kick goals in a 31 winover Villarreal, he equalled the La Liga record with most goals in a season with 38, a record previously held by TelmoZarra and Hugo Snchez.

On 21 May, he scored two goals in the last league match of the season against Almera, taking his Pichichi total to 41, andLa Liga total to 40, becoming the only player to score 40 goals in a La Liga season. By doing this, he won the EuropeanGolden Shoe award once again, becoming the first player to win the trophy in two different leagues. The sports newspaperMarca, which awards the Pichichi Trophy, included the goal scored on 18 September 2010 against Real Sociedad inRonaldo's goal count, which had been officially attributed to Pepe.[104] Should this goal be granted to Ronaldo, his goalcount in the Pichichi Trophy would tally 41 goals. Ronaldo also broke Zarra's record of most goals per minute, with a goalscored every 70.7 minutes. However, regardless of this goal polemic, Ronaldo's record-breaking figures became a source ofmajor attention from public media, such as being included in the Sports Illustrated World XI,[105] rating him as one of theworld's best footballers.

Ronaldo ended his second season at Real Madrid by winning his first club honour with the club, the 2011 Copa del Rey,notching a total of 53 goals (not granting him the controversial goal from Pepe) in all competitions, having scored 25 goalswith his right foot (excluding free-kicks and penalty-kicks) and 9 with his left foot.[106]

201112 season

Real Madrid's pre-season began with a 41 victory over MLS team Los Angeles Galaxy,[107] with goals from JosCallejn, Joselu, Ronaldo and Karim Benzema.[108] Four days later Ronaldo scored a second half hat-trick in a 30 winagainst Guadalajara. Ronaldo's preseason performance was highly praised as world media kept hailing Ronaldo's extremecompetitiveness and motivation, even during friendly matches. On 17 August 2011, Ronaldo scored his 100th goal withReal Madrid with a first-half equaliser against Barcelona in the second leg of the 2011 Spanish Supercup in the Camp Nou.On 27 August 2011, he opened the 201112 La Liga season with a hat-trick in a 60 win at Real Zaragoza.

In the first weeks of September, Ronaldo's physical performance was subject to scrutiny by world media, after Castrolreleased a television film named Ronaldo: Tested to the Limit where he was put to test in several fields, including mentaland physical. Conclusions from the movie and doctors in the weeks following claimed that Ronaldo was one of the bestathletes in the world, excelling in football and outstanding in almost every other category.[citation needed] On 24 September,Ronaldo scored a hat-trick (including two penalties) in Real Madrid's 62 win over Rayo Vallecano at the SantiagoBernabu. This was his ninth La Liga hat-trick and tenth hat-trick for Real Madrid.

On 27 September, Ronaldo scored Real's opening goal in a 30 victory over Ajax at the Santiago Bernabu in the UEFAChampions League. On 22 October, after not scoring in his previous three games, Ronaldo scored his tenth La Ligahat-trick and eleventh in total for Real Madrid in a match away to Mlaga, which Real Madrid won 40. His twelfth RealMadrid hat-trick followed on 6 November in a 71 victory over Osasuna that ensured Madrid stayed top of the tableheading into the international break.[109]

On 19 November 2011, Ronaldo scored Real's second goal in a 23 defeat of Valencia. On 26 November 2011, Ronaldoscored two penalties in a 41 defeat of Atltico Madrid in the El Derbi madrileo. On 3 December 2011, Ronaldo scoredMadrid's second goal in a 03 defeat of Sporting de Gijn in La Liga. He was one of the three finalists for the 2011 FIFABallon d'Or. On 13 December 2011, Ronaldo scored the second goal against SD Ponferradina in the first leg of the Copa


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Ronaldo against Ajax duringtheir group stage match inthe UEFA ChampionsLeague on 27 September2011.

del Rey Round 4, the match ended in a 02 win. On 17 December 2011, Ronaldo scored histwelfth La Liga hat-trick and thirteenth overall in a 62 win away to Sevilla.

Ronaldo was third in the 201011 UEFA Best Player in Europe Award, behind Lionel Messiand Xavi, and second in the 2011 FIFA Ballon d'Or, behind Lionel Messi and ahead ofXavi. In Real Madrid's next game in La Liga at home to Granada Ronaldo scored the fifthgoal in a 51 win. On 22 January 2012, Ronaldo scored two penalties in a 41 win overAthletic Bilbao, and on 28 January scored Real Madrid's second and winning goal in a 31win against Zaragoza. Ronaldo also scored two goals against Barcelona in the Copa del ReyQuarter-finals, which Real lost 43 on aggregrate. On 12 February 2012, Ronaldo scored ahat-trick, his thirteenth in La Liga and fourteenth for Real Madrid in a 42 home win overLevante. This win stretched Real Madrid's lead over second-placed Barcelona to 10 points.

On 24 March 2012, Ronaldo reached more than 100 goals in La Liga in just three seasons atReal Madrid when he scored the first of his two goals in the match against Real Sociedad,the second quickest La Liga player to reach that milestone in the league after IsidroLngara, reaching the milestone in 92 matches and breaking the previous club record heldby Pusks.[110] As of 24 March 2012, Ronaldo had averaged 1.01 goals per game in LaLiga.

On 11 April, Ronaldo scored a hat-trick against Atletico Madrid in a 14 win, as well asassisting the last goal. His hat-trick, one goal from a free kick, one from 30 yards on the leftwing and one penalty, gave him 40 league goals in the season, making him the only playerin La Liga history, or in any other major European league, to score 40 goals in two seasons,

even doing so in consecutive seasons. Ronaldo officially broke his previous record of 40 goals in a La Liga season on 14April, scoring in a 31 win against Sporting Gijn. On 25 April, in the second leg of the semi-finals in the 201112 UEFAChampions League against Bayern Munich, Ronaldo converted a penalty from a David Alaba handball and scored a secondgoal from a pass from Mesut zil. Extra time ended with the tie level at 33, and Real Madrid were eliminated in theshootout with Ronaldo's kick being saved by Manuel Neuer.[111]

On 13 May 2012, the last matchday, Ronaldo scored against Mallorca which made him the first player ever to score againstevery team in a single season in La Liga.[11] He ended his third season at Real Madrid by winning his first league title withthe club, with a record 100 points, notching a total of 46 league goals and 60 goals in all competitions, breaking the RealMadrid record he had set the previous season. At the end of the season, Ronaldo claimed that he believed that he hadplayed better than Lionel Messi in the 201112 season,[112] and he went on to win the Trofeo Alfredo Di Stefano as the LaLiga player of the season.

201213 season

Ronaldo started the season by lifting the Supercopa de Espaa with Real Madrid, scoring two goals in a 44 away goalsaggregate win against Barcelona. The goal in the first leg made him the first Madrid player in the history of El Clsico toscore for the fourth game in a row at the Camp Nou,[113] with the winning goal in the second leg, Ronaldo equalled theReal Madrid record of Ivn Zamorano of scoring in five consecutive El Clsico matches.[114] AS reported that ManchesterCity president Sheikh Mansour had made a bid of 200 million for Ronaldo in the summer, but Real Madrid turned the biddown.[115] On 30 August, Ronaldo was second (tied with Lionel Messi) in the 201112 UEFA Best Player in EuropeAward with 17 votes, behind winner Iniesta.[116]

On 2 September 2012, Ronaldo scored his first league goal of the season in a 30 win over Granada, which was also his200th career goal in league matches played in England, Spain and Portugal. He added another goal, which was his 150thgoal for Real Madrid in all competitions in 149 matches played. This goal made him the 10th highest scorer for RealMadrid in all competitions. Ronaldo was substituted at the 63rd minute by team mate Higuan, due to a minor thighinjury.[117] Afterwards, Ronaldo claimed that he was unhappy with a "professional issue" after he refused to celebrate his149th and 150th goals for the club.[118] Ronaldo's agent, Jorge Mendes, insisted that he always knew that Ronaldo wasunhappy with life at Real Madrid.[119] Ronaldo dismissed the notion that his post-match declaration of "sadness" wasrelated to a desire for a new and improved contract at the club.[120] Real Madrid president, Florentino Prez, claimed thathe did not want to leave the club and that he was unhappy for other reasons.[121] When Ronaldo returned to Real Madrid,after international duty, he stated he was focused on achieving further success with the club.[122] Real Madrid coach JosMourinho believed that UEFA's decision to elect Iniesta as the best player in Europe in 201112 could have been one of the


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Ronaldo during a friendlygame against Milan beforethe beginning of the season.

Jos Mourinho, when asked about the2012 Ballon d'Or.[129]

reasons behind Ronaldo's unhappiness.[123][124]

On 18 September, Ronaldo scored his first Champions League goal of the season in a 32victory over Manchester City.[125] On 30 September, Ronaldo scored a hat-trick (includingtwo penalties), his first La Liga hat-trick of the season in a 51 win over Deportivo de LaCorua.[126] On 4 October, Ronaldo scored his first career hat-trick in the ChampionsLeague as he led Real Madrid to a 41 victory over Ajax.[127] Continuing his fine form, hehit a brace the following week against Barcelona in a 22 draw at Camp Nou, which madehim the first and only player to score in six consecutive El Clsico's.[128]

On 11 November, in a 21 away win overLevante, Ronaldo received an elbow to the eye inthe second minute in the match, but scored histwelfth La Liga goal to give Madrid the lead,before being substituted at half-time.[130][131]

This eventually led to him missing the Portugalsquad for the friendly game against Gabon.[132]

On 21 November, he appeared in Madrid's 11Champions League group stage draw withManchester City at the Etihad Stadium. Thematch represented the first time that Ronaldoplayed in Manchester since leaving City's rival,

Manchester United, for Madrid in 2009.[133] On 1 December, after not scoring inhis previous three games, Ronaldo scored a goal from a free-kick and assistedzil to score the second goal in a 20 victory over Atltico Madrid.[134]

On 6 January, following the 201213 winter break, Ronaldo scored a brace to lift 10-man Real Madrid to a 43 victoryover Real Sociedad.[135] The match represented the first time that Ronaldo captained Real Madrid in an official match,[136][137] but received his fifth yellow card of the season and was suspended for the team's next league game at Osasunaserving a one-game ban. This was the first time Ronaldo was suspended for an accumulation of yellow cards, having onlypreviously missed games when being given a straight red card.[138] On 7 January, he was second in the 2012 FIFA Ballond'Or, for the fourth time behind Lionel Messi.[139] On 9 January, Ronaldo scored a hat-trick against Celta Vigo in thesecond leg of a Copa del Rey game.[140] Following a first leg victory over Valencia in the Copa del Rey on 15 January,Ronaldo got into an argument with manager Jos Mourinho.[141][142] On 27 January, Ronaldo scored a perfect hat-trickagainst Getafe in a 40 win, including his 300th club goal.[143] On 30 January, against Barcelona in the Copa del Rey,Ronaldo made his 500th club appearances. He was the first not Spanish to captain Real Madrid in a Clsico in the last 60years.[144]

Ronaldo faced his former club Manchester United for the first time on 13 February in the Champions League Round of 16and scored the equaliser in a 11 draw at the Santiago Bernabu.[145] On 21 February, Ronaldo scored another hat-trickagainst Sevilla, his 21st hat-trick of his career and his 17th in La Liga.[146] On 26 February, Ronaldo scored twice againstBarcelona in the second leg of the Copa del Rey semi-finals, making this the sixth consecutive trip to the Camp Nou inwhich he had scored.[147] Ronaldo then scored the winning goal in a 21 victory against Manchester United on 5 March,which was his return to Old Trafford for the first time since his world-record 80 million move to Real Madrid in2009.[148] Thereafter, Ronaldo stated he was "sad" and had a "strange feeling" after his goal knocked Manchester Unitedout of the Champions League.[149][150]

On 10 March, Ronaldo struck twice against Celta Vigo to send Real Madrid above city rivals Atltico into second place inLa Liga.[151] The second goal, his 138 goal in La Liga, earned him a place in the top 25 goalscorers in the history of LaLiga in just 127 games, recording an average of 1.08 goals per game, the highest of all the top 25 goalscorers.[152] On 16March, Ronaldo scored the equaliser in a 52 victory against Mallorca, which was his 350 goal in his career.[152][153] On 3April, Ronaldo scored the opening goal against Galatasaray in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals.[154] On9 April, Ronaldo scored twice in the second leg against Galatasaray to send Real Madrid to the semi-finals in theChampions League, winning 53 on aggregate.[155]

Ronaldo picked up an injury to his leg thigh muscle while warming up for the UEFA Champions League semi-final first legon 24 April, where he scored an away goal in a 41 loss against Borussia Dortmund.[156] He was absent from Real

If Messi is the best on theplanet, Ronaldo is the best inthe universe. If you are going togive out the Ballon d'Orbecause a player is the best,give it to Cristiano or Messi.But I ask: if the two are on thesame level, is it normal that onewins four and the other one? Itis not.


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Ronaldo against Galatasarayduring their group stagematch in the UEFAChampions League on 17September 2013.

Madrid's next game against Atltico Madrid,[157] but returned to action on 30 April for the 20 second leg victory againstDortmund (a 43 aggregate loss).[158] On 4 May, Ronaldo scored two headers against Real Valladolid in a 43 homewin.[159] The British media reported that Manchester United chief executive David Gill was in Madrid to talk withRonaldo's agent about a return to Old Trafford,[160] but other media outlets reported that United would struggle to re-signhim after the announcement of Alex Ferguson's retirement as manager of Manchester United.[161][162]

Ronaldo scored his 200th goal for Real Madrid on 8 May in a 62 win against Mlaga. This figure made him sixth in thelist of the club's all-time top scorers and the player that took fewest matches (197) to reach 200 goals.[163] On 17 May,Ronaldo headed the opening goal from a Mesut zil corner in the 14th minute against Atletico Madrid in the eventual 21Copa del Rey final loss, which was also his 111 goal (201 overall) in his 100th home appearance.[164] He was shown astraight red card in the 114th minute of extra time of the final for an altercation with Gabi.[165] He was charged for theaccumulation of yellow cards and violent conduct by the RFEF, banned for the two games in the last 16 of the 201314Copa del Rey.[166]

Ronaldo ended his fourth season at Real Madrid as the Champions League top goalscorer for a second time in his career,with 12 goals. In the league, Real Madrid failed to defend their La Liga title, finishing runners up to arch-rivals Barcelona,and were eliminated in the semi-finals in the UEFA Champions League for the third consecutive year. Accounting for allcompetitions, Ronaldo ended the season with a total of 55 goals, having scored 30 goals with his right foot, 17 with his leftfoot and 8 with his head.[167]

201314 season

Real Madrid's failure to win major silverware last season and reports of division in thedressing room had prompted speculation that Ronaldo, whose contract runs until June 2015,might be seeking a move away from the Spanish capital.[168][169][170] On 8 June 2013,Ronaldo moved to quell the speculation over his future by insisting that he would reach adeal to renew his contract with Real Madrid.[171] On 3 July 2013, Ronaldo admitted that hewas missing the English Premier League, but ruled out an imminent move back to OldTrafford.[172]

On 18 August 2013, Ronaldo made his 200th competitive appearance for Real Madrid in a21 home win over Real Betis.[173] Ronaldo had not scored during the first two leaguegames, but against Athletic Bilbao on 1 September 2013, he scored his first of the season ina 31 home victory.[174]

On 15 September 2013, after much speculation,[175] Ronaldo signed a new contract withReal Madrid that will keep him at the club until 2018,[176] with a salary of 21 million(after taxes), which makes him the highest paid player in football.[177] On 17 September2013, Ronaldo scored the second Champions League hat-trick of his career in RealMadrid's opening group match of the 201314 UEFA Champions League, a 61 away winagainst Galatasaray.[178] On 22 September 2013, Ronaldo scored a brace in a 41 homevictory against Getafe CF, including his 209th goal in his 205th game, to become the fifthhighest scorer in the club's history.[179]

In his 100th game in the European competitions against Copenhagen on 2 October 2013,Ronaldo scored a brace as Real Madrid went on to a 40 home victory.[180] On 5 October2013, Ronaldo scored a late winning goal against Levante, which made him the first playerin the big five European leagues to score 50 goals in 2013.[181] On 23 October 2013,Ronaldo scored twice in a 21 home victory against Juventus to become the ChampionsLeague's third all-time highest goalscorer with 57 goals.[182][183] On 30 October 2013, Ronaldo scored his 18th La Ligahat-trick in a 73 home win against Sevilla.[184]

In a debate at Oxford Union in October 2013, when asked whether FIFA president Sepp Blatter preferred Messi orRonaldo, Blatter paid tribute to the work ethic of the Argentine before taking a swipe at Ronaldo, claiming "one of themhas more expenses for the hairdresser than the other". Real Madrid demanded and promptly received a full apology, andthe Portuguese issued his own riposte with a mock-salute celebration after scoring a penalty against Sevilla, after Blatterhad described him as a "commander" on the pitch.[185][186]


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Carlo Ancelotti.[198]

In his 106 away appearances for Real Madrid on 2 November 2013, Ronaldo scored his 100th away goal as he hit a bracein a 32 away victory against Rayo Vallecano, averaging 0.94 per game.[187] On 5 November 2013, Ronaldo broke therecord held for Champions League goals scored in a calendar year with 14 goals, after he equalised for Real Madrid in a22 draw at Juventus.[188] On 9 November 2013, Ronaldo scored his 19th La Liga hat-trick (one from open play, a penaltyand a direct free-kick) in a 51 home victory against Real Sociedad, which made him second in the all time Leaguehat-trick list. The direct free-kick was his 20th direct free-kick goal for Real Madrid, one more than free-kick specialistRonaldinho scored with Barcelona.[189]

After his strong form in the 201314 campaign by which he had scored 32 goals from 22 matches played for both club andcountry by the middle of November 2013, including five hat-tricks, Ronaldo suggested that he could be in the "best form ofhis life".[190] On 23 November 2013, Ronaldo was replaced by Jes in the 52nd minute against Almera after suffering amuscle strain, which would keep him out for one to two weeks.[191][192] Ronaldo made his return for Real Madrid in a 20away victory against Copenhagen in the Champions League on 10 December 2013, and went on to break the record formost goals scored in the Champions League group stages with 9 goals.[193] His final match of the calendar year saw himscore a header in a 32 away win against Valencia, ending the year with a tally of 69 goals in 59 appearance, his highestyear-end goal tally.[194][195] With the goal, he became the club's fourth top scorer in the league with 164 league goals,equalling the tally gained by Hugo Snchez. He also become the second top scorer in matches played away from homewith 72 goals, 15 behind the record holder Ral with 87.[196]

In Real Madrid's first match following the 201314 winter break, Ronaldo score a brace in a 30 home victory againstCelta Vigo, including his 400th career goal in 653 games for club and country. He dedicated his two goals to Eusbio, whohad died two days before.[12] With the brace, he also reached 230 goals in just 221 appearances for Real Madrid in allcompetitions.[197]

On 13 January 2014, Ronaldo won the 2013 FIFA Ballon d'Or, beating Lionel Messi,who had won the prize the previous four years, and Franck Ribry.[199] This was hissecond Ballon d'Or overall and his first since winning the prize in 2008, therebybecame the 10th multiple winner of the football's top individual prize.[200] He alsobecame the sixth player in history to collect the accolade despite not winning a majortrophy in the calendar year,[201] and the third player to win the award after playing atleast a full calendar year at Real Madrid.[202] Ronaldo had been runner-up on anotherfour occasions: 2007, 2009, 2011 and 2012.[203] A tearful Ronaldo described receivingthe accolade as "no words to describe this moment" and "it's hard to win thisaward".[204] The achievement fuelled media to recognise Ronaldo as one of the

greatest players in football history,[205][206][207][208] with Brazil great Pel stating that Ronaldo must continue to maintainhis exceptional high standards.[209]

On 18 January 2014, Ronaldo netted a long-range finish from 26 meters that nestled to the top right corner in a 50 awaywin over Real Betis, clocked at a speed of 132 km/h.[210][211] In Madrid's next league, Ronaldo scored the opening goal ina 20 home win over Granada.[212] On 11 February 2014, in the Spanish Cup's semifinals second leg, Ronaldo scored abrace in a 20 away win against Atltico Madrid to surpass Luis Aragons as the top scorer in the history of 'Copa' gamesbetween Real and Atltico with 5 goals.[213] His seventh minute penalty meant Ronaldo had scored in every single minuteof a 90 minute football match.[214] With a brace against Schalke 04 in a 6-1 victory on 26 February 2014, Ronaldo becomethe first player to score 10 or more goals in 3 consecutive Champions League campaigns.[215] On 15 March 2014, after hescored the only goal of the match against Mlaga, Ronaldo become the first player to score 25 goals in five consecutiveleague seasons.[216] On 18 March 2014, Ronaldo scored two goals against Schalke 04 in the second leg of the ChampionsLeague's round-of-16, allowing him to surpass his personal record of 12 goals in a single UEFA Champions League season,putting him just one behind Lionel Messi's record of 14 goals from the 2011-12 season.[217]

International career

Ronaldo earned his first cap for Portugal in a 10 victory against Kazakhstan on 20 August 2003.[218]

Euro 2004 and 2004 Summer Olympics

Ronaldo was called up for Euro 2004,[219] scoring his first international goal in a 21 group stage loss to eventual

Ronaldo is a uniqueplayer for all of histalent and hisprofessionalism. He is aplayer who isextraordinarilyconsistent.


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Ronaldo playing against Brazil inFebruary 2007.

champions Greece[220] and scoring again in a 21 semi-final win over theNetherlands.[221] He was featured in the UEFA Euro All-Star Team of thiscompetition, providing two assists,[222] despite finishing with only two goals.[223]

Ronaldo also represented Portugal at the 2004 Summer Olympics, scoring a goal inthe tournament, although the Portuguese Olympic football squad was eliminated inthe first round, finishing bottom of their group with three points.[224][225]

2006 World Cup

Ronaldo was the second-highest scorer in the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification inthe European zone with seven goals,[223] and scored his first World Cup goalagainst Iran (2-0) with a penalty kick in Portugal's second match in the group stage.[226]

During a quarter-final match against England on 1 July 2006, Ronaldo's United teammate Wayne Rooney was sent off forstamping on Portugal defender Ricardo Carvalho. The English media speculated that Ronaldo had influenced refereeHoracio Elizondo's decision by aggressively complaining, after which he was seen in replays winking at the Portuguesebench following Rooney's dismissal. After the match, Ronaldo insisted that Rooney was a friend and that he was notpushing for Rooney to be sent off.[227] On 4 July, Elizondo clarified that the red card was due to Rooney's infraction andnot the fracas between Rooney and Ronaldo that followed.[228]

The angry reaction from the English press caused Ronaldo to consider leaving United,[229] and he allegedly told Spanishsports daily Marca that he wished to move to Real Madrid.[230] In response to the speculation, Ferguson sent Portugueseassistant manager Carlos Queiroz to speak to Ronaldo in attempt to change his mind, a sentiment that was shared byRooney.[231][232] Ronaldo stayed, and signed his new five-year extension in April 2007.[233]

Ronaldo was booed during Portugal's semi-final defeat to France (0-1),[234] and missed out on the competition's BestYoung Player award due to a negative e-mail campaign from England fans.[235] Though the online vote only affected thenomination process, FIFA's Technical Study Group awarded the honour to Germany's Lukas Podolski, citing Ronaldo'sbehaviour as a factor in the decision.[236]

Post-World Cup

One day after his 22nd birthday, Ronaldo captained Portugal for the first time in a friendly against Brazil on 6 February2007.[237] This move was in honour of Portuguese Football Federation president Carlos Silva, who had died two daysearlier. Portugal coach Luiz Felipe Scolari explained, "Mr. Silva asked me to make [Ronaldo] captain as a gesture... [he] istoo young to be captain, but Mr. Silva asked me, and now he is no longer with us."[238]

Euro 2008 and 2010 World Cup

Ronaldo scored eight goals in Portugal's UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying campaign,[239] behind Poland's Ebi Smolarek, butfinished with only one goal in the tournament. When Portugal's squad for the tournament was announced, Ronaldo wasgiven the number 7 shirt for the first time in a major tournament.[240] He was named man of the match in the group matchagainst the Czech Republic (3-1).[241] Portugal were eliminated in the quarter-finals with a 32 loss against eventualfinalists Germany.[242]

After Portugal's unsuccessful performance in the European Championship, Luiz Felipe Scolari was replaced as Portugalcoach with Carlos Queiroz.[243] In July 2008, Queiroz named Ronaldo as the new permanent captain of the Portugalnational team.[244]

On 15 June 2010, in Portugal's opening 2010 World Cup match against Cte d'Ivoire, Ronaldo was tackled by right-backGuy Demel, which led to an argument and both being booked. The next day, Portugal contacted FIFA to suggest thatRonaldo's yellow card be rescinded since he was "pulled into" the confrontation after having already moved away from thespot where he was tackled, but the appeal was rejected.[245]

Ronaldo was named man of the match in all three of Portugal's group matches against Cte d'Ivoire (0-0), North Korea(7-0) and Brazil (0-0).[246][247][248] His only goal of the tournament came in Portugal's 70 group stage thrashing of North


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Ronaldo was made full-timecaptain of Portugal after theUEFA Euro 2008.

Ronaldo against Germany duringtheir group stage match at UEFAEuro 2012.

Diego Maradona, on Ronaldo'sopportunity to take Portugal to thefinal.[262][263]

Korea on 21 June,[249] which marked his first international goal in 16 months.[250] TheWorld Cup ended for Portugal with a 10 loss against eventual champions Spain in theRound of 16.

Euro 2012

Ronaldo scored seven goals in Portugal's UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying campaign, includingtwo strikes against Bosnia in the play-offs for the tournament, and finished behindGermany's Miroslav Klose and the Netherlands' Klaas-Jan Huntelaar (not including theplay-offs round). Portugal were drawn in Group B with Netherlands, Denmark andGermany, which was widely referred to as the "group of death" of the tournament.[251] In aninterview with Kicker Magazine, Ronaldo stated that: "I will only be fully content with mycareer when I have lifted a trophy with Portugal."[252][253][254]

After the opening 01 defeat against Germany,Ronaldo was criticised for under performing,showing frustration at his and his team-mates' errorsand for walking off into the changing-rooms straightafter the match, rather than thanking the crowd with

the team. Ronaldo's team-mate, Nani, later defended him, stating that he had left thepitch as he needed to instantly be treated for a possible injury, also adding that hewas under excessive pressure, as football is a team sport.[255]

During the group stage match between Denmark and Portugal (3-2 win), theDenmark fans chanted Lionel Messi's name whenever Ronaldo was on the ball.Ronaldo squandered two gilt-edged one-on-one chances, and Ronaldo lookedfrustrated and tormented throughout.[256] Asked about the Messi chants, Ronaldoresponded irritatedly: "You know where he was at this time last year? Do youknow? He was being eliminated in the Copa America, in his own country. I thinkthat's worse, no? And people say that he is the best player in the world. This sort of thing is normal for great players."[257]

In the final group match between Portugal and the Netherlands, Ronaldo silenced his critics by scored two goals to secure a21 victory for Portugal, allowing the team to advance to the quarterfinals.[258][259]

Ronaldo was further praised for his performance against the Czech Republic in the quarter-finals, where he darted in frombehind his marker in the 79th minute and headed a cross from Joao Moutinho, sending Portugal into the semifinals with a10 victory. After scoring the winning goal, he ran to the camera and chanted "para ti" as he had dedicated the goal to hisson.[260][261]

In the semi-final against Spain, Ronaldo had several chances, but he sent three shotsover the bar.[264] His best chance came in the 90th minute, but shot the ball high andwide.[265] The match ended with penalties, but Ronaldo did not take a penalty in theshootout as he had been slated to take the fifth one, but it never got that far.[266] ThePortugal coach, Paulo Bento, knocked back criticism of Ronaldo not being employedearlier in the shootout: "Well we had this plan and if it would have been 44 and hewould have taken the last penalty we would talk in a different way."[267][268]

Before and throughout the tournament, Ronaldo was particularly hailed by Argentinegreat Diego Maradona, who described Ronaldo as "the best player on the planet" andwent on to say that "[Ronaldo] has shown his countrymen that he does deserve amonument in Lisbon."[263][269] Ronaldo was included in the UEFA Euro 2012 Team of

the Tournament, the second time after 2004, and finished the competition as the joint-top goalscorer with three goals, alongwith five other players, although Spain's Fernando Torres took the Golden Boot. Though there was no third place playoff,UEFA decided for the first time to award both of the semi-final losers bronze medals.[270]

2014 World Cup cycle

On 17 October 2012, Ronaldo won his 100th cap for the Portugal national team in a World Cup qualification match againstNorthern Ireland (1-1) at Porto's Estdio do Drago. He became the third youngest European ever to reach that figure in the

In the form he is in,given the chance, he willscore. Cristiano wants tobring his team to thefinal and show why heshould be considered thebest player in the world.


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Ronaldo, playing for Portugal in2012, has been compared to four-timeFIFA/Ballon d'Or winner LionelMessi.

process, after Germany's Lukas Podolski and Estonia's Kristen Viikme.[271]

On 14 August 2013, Ronaldo scored his 40th goal for Portugal in a 11 friendly draw against the Netherlands.[272] On 6September 2013, Ronaldo netted his first international hat-trick in a 15-minute spell in the second half at Windsor Parkagainst Northern Ireland (4-2) in a World Cup qualification match to become Portugal's second-highest scorer ahead ofEusbio.[273][274] With his goals against Northern Ireland, Ronaldo also established a personal record, since it was the firsttime that he scored in three consecutive matches with Portugal.[275]

Ronaldo scored eight goals in Portugal's FIFA World Cup 2014 qualifying campaign, including all four of the team's goalsin the two-legged play-off against Sweden which ensured Portugal's place at the finals.[276] His hat-trick in the second-legmade him Portugal's joint-top goalscorer of all-time after equalling Pauleta's record tally of 47 international goals.[277]

On 5 March 2014, Ronaldo netted twice in Portugal's 5-1 friendly win over Cameroon to take his tally to 49 goals, thusbecoming his country's all-time leading goalscorer.[278]

Style of play

Widely regarded as one of the two best players in the world within his generation(the other being Lionel Messi), and as one of the best players to ever play thegame,[279][280] Cristiano Ronaldo plays an attacking role, most often playing aseither a striker or as a winger,[281][282] and is known for his finishing, pace,dribbling, positioning and his passing, crossing, freekick ability.[74][283] He is ableto play on either wing as well through the center of the pitch, making him a veryversatile attacker.[284]

Tactically, Ronaldo plays a powerful attacking role, often drifting from the left winginto the centre when moving off the ball.[285] Ronaldo is known to be mentallysharp, with good vision, predicting certain plays, and also possesses very goodreactions, balance and agility. Although right footed, he is also able to control theball and cross and finish well with his left foot.[286][287]

Cristiano Ronaldo is known for his pace, skill, control and dribbling ability, as wellas his flair in beating players during one on one situations. He is able to finish wellboth inside the area and from distance.[74][288] He is also an accurate set piece andpenalty kick specialist.[289] Uniquely, his height, strength, jumping ability andheading technique have given him an edge in winning aerial challenges for balls,with the majority of his goals often being headers.[290]

Since his arrival at Manchester United, Ronaldo underwent a major bodytransformation, from a skinny youth to an athletically built adult. His well-built,muscular body type allows him to retain possession of the ball.[291] Some figures in the football world, such as formerManchester United strength and conditioning coach Mike Clegg and French legend Zinedine Zidane, have praisedRonaldo's incredible work ethic, dedication to improvement on the training field and have stated that he has been renownedfor this.[292][293] Ronaldo once stated his desire to carve his name in history alongside footballing legends such as Pel andDiego Maradona,[294] and that he would rather be remembered as a role model than one of world football's bestplayers.[295]

However, Ronaldo has at times been criticised for his diving when tackled. For which Jos Mourinho said: "Cristiano is aplayer who does not have the culture of the swimming pool, he has no culture of simulation, he is a British-trained player,Ferguson trained. In some cases, the simulators are given more protection, and those who are honest are often the losers.I'm not a hypocrite if I say that they (defenders) hit Cristiano very hard, and that the yellow cards do not arrive or are slowin coming."[296]

Earlier in his career, Ronaldo had been described as having an "arrogant image" on the field with Ronaldo stating that hehad become a "victim", because of how he was portrayed in the media.[297] He is often seen moaning, gesticulating andscowling while trying to inspire his team to victory, with Ronaldo insisting that his competitive nature should not bemistaken for arrogance.[297] His managers, team-mates and various journalists have commented that this reputation has


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Ronaldo during his spell atReal Madrid.

caused an unfair image of him.[298][299][300][301][302][303][304] In 2014, Ronaldo told France Football that he had made a"mistake" when he said in 2011, "People are jealous of me as I am young handsome and rich", adding that he had maturedsince then and fans understood him better.[305]

Ronaldo's direct football style, skill and goalscoring ability have been his most noticeable traits throughout his career, andhis overall talent has at times led him to be considered a player who stands out and who can be a match changer.[306]

Ronaldo is said to play at his fullest capabilities only when he's under pressure and/or playing against a strong team.[307]

Ronaldo's increasing production led the media to draw comparisons between him and FC Barcelona forward Lionel Messi,[308][309][310][311] as the pair possesses similar attributes for their team and also for revolutionising statistics for goalsscored,[312][313] which Ronaldo has commented on saying: "Some people say I'm better, other people say it's him, but at theend of the day, they're going to decide who is the best player. He does the best things for Barcelona, I do the best things forMadrid. I think we push each other sometimes in the competition, this is why the competition is so high."[314] However,some former great players have criticised the comparison, such as Brazilian legend Pel and former Portugueseinternational Luis Figo, who cited that they have different playing styles.[315][316] Though the comparison has beencriticised, many figures in the football world have cited Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo as the world's finest players.[269][317][318][319][320][321] Ronaldo's former Real Madrid manager, Jos Mourinho, once stated: "If both Messi andCristiano Ronaldo were born in different eras, they would have ruled the football scene and collected 10 FIFA Ballon d'Orseach."[322]

"Maturity brings many things. When I went to see them play against City, some of his decision-making interms of passing was brilliant. One-touch passing, good crosses. In the six years we had him, you just sawhis game grow all the time, and he was a fantastic player. Now you see the complete player. His decision-making, his maturity, his experience, plus all the great skills he has got, they all make him the completeplayer."[323]

Alex Ferguson on the 27-year-old Ronaldo, January 2013

Outside football

Personal life

Ronaldo's father, Jos Dinis Aveiro, died of an alcoholism-related liver condition at the ageof 52 in September 2005 when Ronaldo was 20.[324] Ronaldo has said that he does notdrink alcohol and he received libel damages over a Daily Mirror article that reported himdrinking heavily in a nightclub while recovering from an injury in July 2008.[325]

In October 2005, a month after his father died, Ronaldo was arrested on suspicion of rapinga woman in a London hotel and released on bail.[326] Ronaldo denied the allegations andcharges were dropped by Scotland Yard in November 2005 due to "insufficient evidence".Ronaldo issued a statement saying: "I have always strongly maintained my innocence ofany wrong-doing and I am glad that this matter is at an end so that I can concentrate onplaying for Manchester United."[327]

Ronaldo announced that he had become a father on 3 July 2010. His official Facebook andTwitter pages refer to the birth of his son and request privacy.[328] The child, namedCristiano[329] is in full custody of Ronaldo.[328]

Ronaldo has previously dated English models Alice Goodwin[330] and Gemma Atkinson, and since the start of 2010, he hasbeen dating Russian model Irina Shayk.[331] He is a practising Roman Catholic.[332]

Philanthropy

Television footage of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami showed an eight-year-old boy survivor namedMartunis wearing a No. 7 Portuguese football jersey who was stranded for 19 days after his family was killed. Followingthis, Ronaldo visited Aceh, Indonesia, to raise funds for rehabilitation and reconstruction.[333][334] After acceptingundisclosed damages from a libel case against The Sun newspaper in 2008, Ronaldo donated the damages to a charity in


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Madeira.[335] In 2009, Ronaldo donated 100,000 to the hospital that saved his mother's life in Madeira following herbattle with cancer, so that they could build a cancer centre in his native island Madeira.[336] In support of the victims of the2010 Madeira flood, Ronaldo pledged to play in a charity match in Madeira between the Primeira Liga club FC Porto andplayers from Madeiran based clubs Martimo and Nacional.[337]

In November 2011, Ronaldo donated a pair of his football boots to be auctioned by Real Madrid's 'Clasico' network. Theywere sold for 2050 with the proceeds going to fund schools in Gaza, Palestine.[338] In May 2012, Ronaldo and his agent,Jorge Mendes, decided to fund a pioneering treatment for a nine-year-old boy when it seemed that there was no hope leftfor the child, who has been battling cancer since before his second birthday.[339] In November 2012, Ronaldo sold thegolden boot he had won in 2011 for 1.5 million and gave the money to fund schools for children in Gaza.[340] InDecember 2012, Ronaldo joined FIFA's '11 for Health' programme to raise awareness amongst kids of how to steer clear ofconditions including drug addiction, HIV, malaria and obesity.[341][342] In January 2013, Ronaldo became Save theChildren's new Global Artist Ambassador, in which he hopes to help fight child hunger and obesity.[343] In March 2013,Ronaldo agreed to be the ambassador for The Mangrove Care Forum in Indonesia. The forum aims to raise awareness tothe Indonesian and international community of the importance of conserving biodiversity and ecosystem of mangroves inthe South Bay of Benoa, Bali.[344]

Wealth

In March 2010, France Football ranked Ronaldo third in its list of the world's highest paid footballers, behind DavidBeckham and Lionel Messi, with 27 million (29.2 million) in combined income from salaries, bonuses and off-fieldearnings.[345][346] His net wealth was estimated at $160 million in May 2012.[347]

In January 2014, Spain's high tax laws meant that, reportedly the world's highest-paid player in terms of gross salary,Ronaldo (11.87 million-a-year) could only rank second in terms of net pay in World Soccer Magazine's list of thefootballers with the highest salary, focusing on net basic salaries and do not include bonuses and incentives.[348]

In March 2014, Goal ranked Ronaldo first in its list of the world's richest footballers, with an estimated net wealth of 148million, taking into account all the players' income throughout their careers.[349]

Sponsorships

Ronaldo has signed many sponsorships as his reputation rapidly grew from his time at Manchester United.[350] In October2009, Ronaldo was named the new spokesmodel for Emporio Armani men's underwear and jeans.[351] In February 2010,he re-upped his endorsement contract with American sportswear company Nike until 2014.[352] He has also signed othersponsorships from Coca-Cola, Castrol, Konami, Banco Espirito Santo, Motorola, Jacob & Co., Herbalife and KFC.[353][354][355][356][357][358][359] All of his sponsorships have earned him a total of an estimated $21 million per year as of June2013.[360]

Fashion

In 2006, Ronaldo opened a fashion boutique under the name "CR7" (his initials and shirt number) on the island of Madeira,Portugal. Ronaldo expanded his business with a second clothes boutique in Lisbon in 2008. The stores include diamond-studded belts, jeans with leather pockets and patented buckled loafers. The store also sells slinky outfits for women.[361]

In 2013, Ronaldo expanded his fashion line. In partnership with Danish company JBS Textile Group, Ronaldo designed hisown underwear line.[362] The line named CR7 was unveiled at the Palacio de Cibeles in Madrid on 31 October 2013.[363]

Media

Ronaldo's autobiography, titled Moments, was published in December 2007.[364]

On 9 June 2010, Madame Tussauds London unveiled Ronaldo's waxwork as part of the build-up to the World Cup.Ronaldo joined fellow footballers Steven Gerrard, Pel and David Beckham at the event's venue.[365] Ronaldo is sponsoredby the U.S. sportswear company Nike and features in their television advertisements.[366]

Ronaldo was featured on the front cover of the video games FIFA Street 2 and Pro Evolution Soccer 2008. In May 2011,


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The opening of the Cristiano RonaldoMuseum, "CR7", in Funchal,Madeira, on 15 December 2013.

Ronaldo was confirmed as the new face of football series PES with his debut as a cover star of the series Pro EvolutionSoccer 2012 and was involved in promotional campaigns for the game.[367] In December 2011, Cristiano launched aniPhone game called Heads Up with Cristiano. The game is created by developer RockLive.[368] Ronaldo was then the faceof Pro Evolution Soccer 2013, and was also involved in the motion capturing and the trailers.[369]

In August 2010, Ronaldo reached 10 million fans on Facebook and in doing so made history by becoming the firstnon-American personality ever to achieve that kind of success on the social networking site.[370] In October 2012, Ronaldobecame the first sportsperson to reach 50 million followers on Facebook.[371] According to Forbes, Ronaldo had the 5thhighest social rank in the world in 2012, bettered only by Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Justin Bieber, and Katy Perry.[372]

In September 2011, Castrol EDGE presented "Cristiano Ronaldo: Tested to the Limit", an award-winning documentary thatshowed Ronaldo undertaking a series of challenges while under scientific examination.[373] On 17 May 2012, Ronaldo andCastrol EDGE launched a live-streamed football challenge against fans through Facebook. #RonaldoLIVE was the world'sfirst interactive football challenge streamed live through Facebook from a state-of-the-art testing facility in Madrid.[374]

In June 2012, SportsPro rated Ronaldo as the 5th most marketable athlete in theworld,[375] but he slipped to eighth position in 2013.[376] On January 2014, a studyreleased by Gerardo Molina, an honorary professor and specialist in sportsmarketing for the company Euromericas Sport Marketing, claimed that Ronaldowas five times less marketable than rival Lionel Messi.[377]

In July 2012, Ronaldo was revealed by computer security company McAfee as themost "dangerous" footballer online in cyberspace. According to McAfee, fans onthe internet searching out for "Cristiano Ronaldo", "Cristiano Ronaldo download","Cristiano Ronaldo and photos" or "Cristiano Ronaldo and videos" might run therisks of online threats that could steal their personal information.[378]

On 15 December 2013, Ronaldo unveiled a museum, Museu CR7, dedicated tohimself in his hometown of Funchal, Madeira. The exhibition features a number of trophies, medals, memorabilia andnumerous photos of the Portuguese player.[379] Earlier in the same month, Ronaldo had also unveiled his own socialnetworking site and app named Viva Ronaldo (http://vivaronaldo.com/), which allows his fans from around the world tocommunicate with each other and keep up with the latest news about the Portuguese player.[380]

On 20 January 2014, Ronaldo was named Grand Officer of the Order of Prince Henry by Portugal President Anbal CavacoSilva in a ceremony at the Belm National Palace in Lisbon. The knighthood is given in relation to the expansion ofPortuguese culture, which Ronaldo has certainly helped promote over the last decade.[381]

Career statistics

Club

As of 18 March 2014


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Ronaldo playing against Argentina inGeneva, Switzerland on 9 February2011.

Club SeasonLeague Cup LeagueCup Continental

[a] Other[b] Total

Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals

SportingCP

200203[382]Primeira

Liga 25 3 3 2 3 0 0 0 31 5

Total 25 3 3 2 3 0 0 0 31 5

ManchesterUnited

200304[383]

PremierLeague

29 4 5 2 1 0 5 0 0 0 40 6

200405[383] 33 5 7 4 2 0 8 0 0 0 50 9

200506[383] 33 9 2 0 4 2 8 1 47 12

200607[383] 34 17 7 3 1 0 11 3 53 23

200708[383] 34 31 3 3 0 0 11 8 1 0 49 42

200809[383] 33 18 2 1 4 2 12 4 2 1 53 26

Total 196 84 26 13 12 4 55 16 3 1 292 118

RealMadrid

200910[384]

La Liga

29 26 0 0 6 7 35 33

201011[385] 34 40[c] 8 7 12 6 54 53

201112[386] 38 46 5 3 10 10 2 1 55 60

201213[387] 34 34 7 7 12 12 2 2 55 55

201314[388] 24 25 6 3 7 13 37 41

Total 159 171 26 20 47 48 4 3 236 242

Career total 380 258 55 35 12 4 105 64 7 4 559 365

^ Includes appearances in the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League/UEFA Cup.a.^ Includes appearances in the FA Community Shield, FIFA Club World Cup and Supercopa de Espaa.b.^ Does not include one goal scored on 18 September 2010 against Real Sociedad. Marca, which awards the Pichichi Trophy,attribute it to Ronaldo, while La Liga and UEFA attribute it to Pepe.[104]

c.

International

As of match played 5 March 2014.[389][390]

National team Year Apps Goals

Portugal

2003 2 0

2004 16 7

2005 11 2

2006 14 6

2007 10 5

2008 8 1

2009 7 1

2010 11 3

2011 8 7

2012 13 5

2013 9 10

2014 1 2

Total 110 49


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International goals

Scores and results list Portugal's goal tally first.[391]


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Goal Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition

1 12 June 2004 Estdio do Drago, Porto, Portugal Greece 12 12 UEFA Euro 2004

2 30 June 2004 Estdio Jos Alvalade, Lisbon,Portugal Netherlands 10 21 UEFA Euro 2004

3 4 September2004 Skonto Stadium, Riga, Latvia Latvia 10 202006 FIFA World Cupqualification

4 8 September2004Estdio Dr. Magalhes Pessoa,Leiria, Portugal Estonia 10 40

2006 FIFA World Cupqualification

5 13 October2004

Estdio Jos Alvalade, Lisbon,Portugal Russia

2071 2006 FIFA World Cupqualification6 40

7 17 November2004Stade Josy Barthel, Luxembourg,Luxembourg Luxembourg 20 50


8 4 June 2005 Estdio Jos Alvalade, Lisbon,Portugal Slovakia 20 202006 FIFA World Cupqualification

9 8 June 2005 A. Le Coq Arena, Tallinn, Estonia Estonia 10 10 2006 FIFA World Cupqualification

101 March 2006 LTU Arena, Dsseldorf, Germany Saudi Arabia

1030 Friendly

11 30

12 17 June 2006 Waldstadion, Frankfurt, Germany Iran 20 20 2006 FIFA World Cup

13 7 October2006 Estdio do Bessa, Porto, Portugal Azerbaijan

1030 UEFA Euro 2008qualifying14 30

15 15 November2006Estdio Cidade de Coimbra,Coimbra, Portugal Kazakhstan 20 30

UEFA Euro 2008qualifying

16 24 March2007

Estdio Jos Alvalade, Lisbon,Portugal Belgium


18 22 August2007Hanrapetakan Stadium, Yerevan,Armenia Armenia 11 11


19 8 September2007Estdio Jos Alvalade, Lisbon,Portugal Poland 21 22


20 17 October2007Almaty Central Stadium, Almaty,Kazakhstan Kazakhstan 20 21


21 11 June 2008 Stade de Genve, Geneva,Switzerland Czech Republic 21 31 UEFA Euro 2008

22 11 February2009 Estdio Algarve, Faro, Portugal Finland 10 10 Friendly

23 21 June 2010 Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town,South Africa North Korea 60 70 2010 FIFA World Cup

24 8 October2010 Estdio do Drago, Porto, Portugal Denmark 31 31UEFA Euro 2012qualifying

25 12 October2010Laugardalsvllur, Reykjavk,Iceland Iceland 10 31


26 9 February2011Stade de Genve, Geneva,Switzerland Argentina 11 12 Friendly

27 10 August2011 Estdio Algarve, Faro, Portugal Luxembourg 20 50 Friendly

28 2 September2011 GSP Stadium, Nicosia, Cyprus Cyprus



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Ronaldo with Lionel Messi before aninternational friendly betweenPortugal and Argentina in Geneva,Switzerland, on 9 February 2011.

30 11 October2011Parken Stadium, Copenhagen,Denmark Denmark 12 12


31 15 November2011 Estdio da Luz, Lisbon, Portugal

Bosnia andHerzegovina


3317 June 2012 Metalist Stadium, Kharkiv,Ukraine Netherlands

1121 UEFA Euro 2012

34 21

35 21 June 2012 National Stadium, Warsaw, Poland Czech Republic 10 10 UEFA Euro 2012

36 15 August2012 Estdio Algarve, Faro, Portugal Panama 20 20 Friendly

37 7 September2012Stade Josy Barthel, Luxembourg,Luxembourg Luxembourg 11 21


38 6 February2013Estdio D. Afonso Henriques,Guimares, Portugal Ecuador 11 23 Friendly

39 10 June 2013 Stade de Genve, Geneva,Switzerland Croatia 10 10 Friendly

40 14 August2013 Estdio Algarve, Faro, Portugal Netherlands 11 11 Friendly

416 September2013

Windsor Park, Belfast, NorthernIreland Northern Ireland

22


43 42

44 15 November2013 Estdio da Luz, Lisbon, Portugal Sweden 10 102014 FIFA World Cupqualification

4519 November2013 Friends Arena, Solna, Sweden Sweden

10


47 32

485 March 2014 Estdio Dr. Magalhes Pessoa,Leiria, Portugal Cameroon

1051 Friendly

49 51

Honours

Club

Manchester United

Premier League (3): 200607, 200708, 200809FA Cup (1): 200304; Runner-up (2): 200405, 200607Football League Cup (2): 200506, 200809FA Community Shield (1): 2007UEFA Champions League (1): 200708; Runner-up (1): 200809FIFA Club World Cup (1): 2008

Real Madrid

La Liga (1): 201112Copa del Rey (1): 201011; Runner-up (1): 201213Supercopa de Espaa (1): 2012; Runner up (1): 2011

International

Portugal


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UEFA European Championship:

Runner-up (1): 2004Bronze (1): 2012

Individual

UEFA Euro Team of the Tournament (2): 2004, 2012Bravo Award (1): 2004UEFA Team of the Year (8): 2004, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year (3): 200304, 200607, 200708FIFPro Young Player Fan Award (2): 2005,[392] 2006[393]

PFA Premier League Team of the Year (4): 200506, 200607, 200708, 200809PFA Young Player of the Year (1): 200607PFA Players' Player of the Year (2): 200607, 200708PFA Fans' Player of the Year (2): 200607, 200708FWA Footballer of the Year (2): 200607, 200708Barclays Player of the Year (2): 200607, 200708Premier League Player of the Month (4): November 2006, December 2006, January 2008, March 2008ESM Team of the Year (4): 200607, 200708, 201011, 201112Premier League Golden Boot (1): 200708European Golden Shoe (2): 200708, 201011FIFA FIFPro World XI (7): 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013UEFA Champions League top scorer (2): 200708, 201213UEFA Club Forward of the Year (1): 200708UEFA Club Footballer of the Year (1): 200708FIFA Club World Cup Silver Ball (1): 2008Ballon d'Or (1): 2008FIFA World Player of the Year (1): 2008FIFPro World Player of the Year (1): 2008Onze d'Or (1): 2008World Soccer Player of the Year (2): 2008, 2013FIFA Pusks Award (1): 2009La Liga top scorer (1): 201011Copa del Rey top goalscorer (1): 201011Globe Best Footballer (2): 2011, 2013Trofeo Alfredo Di Stfano (2): 201112, 201213La Liga Player of the Month (1): November 2013LFP Most Valuable Player (1): 201213IFFHS World's Best Top Goal Scorer: 2013[394]

FIFA Ballon d'Or (1): 2013

Orders

Officer of the Order of Infante Dom Henrique[395]

Medal of Merit, Order of the Immaculate Conception of Vila Viosa (House of Bragana)[396]

Grand officer of the Order of Prince Henry [397]

Records

(As of 28 September 2013)

World

The most expensive footballer in history[398]

Only player to score in 5 consecutive tournaments:[citation needed] UEFA Euro 2004, FIFA World Cup 2006, UEFAEuro 2008, FIFA World Cup 2010, UEFA Euro 2012


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Europe

The only player to have won the European Golden Shoe in two different leagues (English Premier League andSpanish La Liga)Most consecutive UEFA Champions League matches scored in: 6 matches (shared with Marouane Chamakh andBurak Ylmaz)Most goals scored in the UEFA Champions League group stage: 9 goals[193]

Most UEFA Champions League goals scored in the calendar year: 15 goals in 2013[399]

England

The highest number of goals scored to win the Premier League Golden Boot for a 38-game season: 31 goals (heldjointly with Alan Shearer)

Spain

The first player ever to score in six consecutive Clsicos[400]

Fastest La Liga player to score 150 league goals[401]

Portugal

Portugal all-time top scorer: 49 goalsPortugal all-time top scorer in UEFA Euro matches: 6 goals (held jointly with Nuno Gomes)Most matches played in European Championship finals: 14 matches (shared with Lus Figo and Nuno Gomes)Most matches played in World Cup finals: 11 matches (shared with Simo Sabrosa)Youngest player to reach 100 caps: 27 years, 8 months and 11 days

Real Madrid

Most goals scored in a season in all competitions: 60 goalsMost goals scored in a single La Liga season: 46 goalsMost goals scored in a single UEFA Champions League season: 13 goalsMost hat-tricks in a single season: 7 hat-tricksFastest player to reach 50 league goals[402]

Fastest player to reach 100 league goals[403]

Fastest player to reach 150 league goalsFastest player to reach 200 official goals[404]

References^ "Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro" (http://www.realmadrid.com/cs/Satellite/en/1193041476158/1202773887674/jugador/Jugador/Cristiano_Ronaldo.htm). Real Madrid C.F. Retrieved 18 February 2010.

1.

^ Portuguese pronunciation: [ktinu unadu].2.^ a b Lewis, Tim (8 June 2008). "He's got the world at his feet" (http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2008/jun/08/manchesterunited.portugal?gusrc=rss&feed=football). The Observer (UK). Retrieved 5 November 2008.

3.

^ "Revealed: How Cristiano Ronaldo landed record-breaking 105m contract" (http://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/3277/la-liga/2013/09/16/4266064/revealed-how-cristiano-ronaldo-landed-record-breaking-105m?ICID=HP_BN_1). Goal.com. 16 September2013. Retrieved 4 October 2013.

4.

^ "Real Madrid shield Cristiano Ronaldo with 1bn buy-out clause" (http://www.insideworldsoccer.com/2009/06/cristiano-ronaldo-real-madrid-contract.html). inside World Soccer. 23 June 2009. Retrieved 27 March 2011.

5.

^ "Cristiano Ronaldo" (http://www.francefootball.fr/FF/breves2008/20081202_030150_cristiano-ronaldo-ballon-d-or-2008.html)(in French). France Football. 2 December 2008.

6.

^ "Cristiano Ronaldo: Now I want a third" (http://www.fifa.com/ballondor/news/newsid=2260752/index.html?intcmp=newsreader_news_caption). FIFA. 13 January 2014.

7.

^ "Ronaldo named FIFPro World Player of the Year" (https://web.archive.org/web/20081030085550/http://football.uk.reuters.com/european/news/31AF1E0C-A43A-11DD-8435-676EF73CFA52.php?). London. Reuters. 27 October 2008. Archived from theoriginal (http://football.uk.reuters.com/european/news/31AF1E0C-A43A-11DD-8435-676EF73CFA52.php) on October 30, 2008.

8.


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^ "Cristiano Ronaldo wins World Soccer award" (https://web.archive.org/web/20081214001324/http://www.worldsoccer.com/news/Cristiano_Ronaldo_wins_World_Soccer_award_news_273801.html). World Soccer. 11 December 2008. Archived from theoriginal (http://www.worldsoccer.com/news/Cristiano_Ronaldo_wins_World_Soccer_award_news_273801.html) on December14, 2008. Retrieved 12 May 2011.

9.

^ " "Onze Mondial" Awards" (http://www.rsssf.com/miscellaneous/onze-awards.html). Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation.Retrieved 12 May 2011.

10.

^ a b "Ronaldo makes history scoring against every La Liga team" (http://www.footballzz.com/noticia.php?id=63858).footballzz.com. Retrieved 14 May 2012.

11.

^ a b "Cristiano Ronaldo reaches 400-goal milestone and dedicates achievement to Eusbio after Real Madrid win"(http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/players/cristiano-ronaldo/10555284/Cristiano-Ronaldo-reaches-400-goal-milestone-and-dedicates-achievement-to-Eusebio-after-Real-Madrid-win.html). The Daily Telegraph. 7 January 2014. Retrieved 13 January2014.

12.

^ Fiebre Maldini: Los inicios de Cristiano Ronaldo (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3bxhH16EJ4) (flv) (Televisionproduction) (in Spanish). Madrid: Sogecable. 22 April 2008.

13.

^ "CRISTIIANO RONALDO TEM BISAV CABO-VERDIANA" (http://liberal.sapo.cv/noticia.asp?idEdicao=64&id=22030&idSeccao=519&Action=noticia). Liberal Online (in Portuguese). Retrieved 29 June 2011.

14.

^ "Cristiano Ronaldo spills all to his 'close friend' Jasmine about women, football, cars... and money" (http://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/cristiano-ronaldo-spills-all-to-his-close-friend-139054). Daily Mirror. 3 July 2011. Retrieved 21 August2013.

15.

^ a b "Cristiano Ronaldo: I was expelled from school for throwing a chair at the teacher" (http://www.nowmagazine.co.uk/celebrity-news/529372/cristiano-ronaldo-i-was-expelled-from-school-for-throwing-a-chair-at-the-teacher). Nowmagazine.co.uk.6 July 2011. Retrieved 21 August 2013.

16.

^ "Profile of Ronaldo at about.com" (http://worldsoccer.about.com/od/players/p/players_ronaldo.htm). about.com.17.^ "Clash of the titans" (http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/sport/foot

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