Cristiano Ronaldo Biography
Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro (born 5 February 1985) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a forward and captain for the Portugal national team and Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr. He is often regarded as one of the greatest footballers of all time. Ronaldo has won more awards than any other European player, including five Ballon d’Or awards and four European Golden Shoes.
He has won 32 trophies in his professional career, including seven league titles, five Champions Leagues, one European Cup and one UEFA Nations League. Cristiano Ronaldo has the most appearances (183), the most goals (140), the most assists (42), the most goals (14) in the Champions League, the most goals (14) in the European Cup, the most caps (196) and the most goals (118) in men’s football. In fact, Ronaldo is one of the few players to have played in over 1,100 competitions and scored over 800 goals for club and country. He is also the only player to have scored goals in five World Cup tournaments.
Biographical Summary
Full Name: Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro
Born: 5 February 1985 (38 years old)
Hometown: Funchal, Madeira, Portugal
Height: 1.87 m
Position: Forward
Number of Children: 5
Wife: Georgina
Club Information
Current Club: Al-Nasr
Shirt Number: 7
Biography
On February 5, 1985, corresponding to Bahman 16, 1363, Cristiano Ronaldo was born into a poor family. In his childhood, he was called Kluivert because of his great interest and inclination towards the character of Patrick Kluivert. Cristiano Ronaldo says about his interest and passion for playing football in his childhood; he loved football so much that even if he did not have a ball to play with, he would make a ball by weaving pieces of his and his sisters’ socks together and play with it. Cristiano Ronaldo’s elementary school teacher, Maria dos Santos, said about his interest and passion for football:
“I remember that whenever Chris had free time, he would play football.”
In fact, Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro is the youngest child of José Dinis Aveiro and Maria Dolores dos Santos Aveiro. Ronaldo has a brother named Hugo and two sisters named Alma and Liliana Katia. His father named him Ronaldo after the President of the United States.
Cristiano Ronaldo was born on 5 February 1985 in the São Pedro district of Funchal, the capital of Madeira. He originally spent his childhood in the nearby neighborhood of Santo António. He is the fourth and last child of Maria Dolores dos Santos Vieiras da Aveiro, a cook, and José Dinis Aveiro, a municipal gardener and part-time procurement manager. His paternal grandmother, Isabel da Pide, was from the island of São Vicente, Cape Verde. According to his mother, due to financial hardship, his father’s alcoholism, and the fact that he had too many children at the time, she wanted to have an abortion while Cristiano was pregnant. However, her doctor advised her against it. Cristiano Ronaldo grew up in a poor Catholic family, sharing a room with his other siblings.
Cristiano Ronaldo played for Andorinha as a child from 1992 to 1995, where his father was the procurement manager. He then spent two years at Nacional. In 1997, at the age of 12, Cristiano Ronaldo went to Sporting for a three-day trial and was signed for £1,500. He then moved from Madeira to Alcoxa, near Lisbon, to join Sporting’s youth academy. At the age of 14, he realised that he had the talent and ability to play semi-professional football.
Therefore, he agreed with his mother to abandon his studies and focus all his energy and time on football. Cristiano Ronaldo had many ups and downs in his school and student life. After settling in the Lisbon area and away from his family, he did not manage to complete his education beyond the sixth grade. Although he had many fans among the school students, he was expelled from school after throwing a chair at his teacher, who, according to Cristiano Ronaldo, had disrespected him.
After a year, it was discovered that Cristiano Ronaldo had tachycardia. It was possible that this disease would force Ronaldo to give up football. He underwent heart surgery, during which a laser was used to burn several heart pathways into one, changing the number of heartbeats during his rest. Ronaldo was released from the hospital just hours after the surgery and resumed his football training a few days later.
Personal life:
Ronaldo is a Catholic. His father died of liver disease due to excessive alcohol consumption in September 2005, when Ronaldo was only 20 years old. Ronaldo has officially stated that he does not drink alcohol and received damages from the Daily Mirror for the accusations that he drank too much alcohol in a nightclub, while recovering from his injuries in July 2008. At the same time, he has no tattoos on his body, as he frequently donates his blood and bone marrow.
Ronaldo has four children, the first of which is a son who was born on June 17, 2010 in the United States. He was named Cristiano Ronaldo and his family gave him the nickname Cristiano. Ronaldo stated that he has full custody of him. Of course, he has not officially revealed the identity of his son’s mother to the media. In 2010, Ronaldo began a relationship with Irena Shabak. However, in January 2015, they ended their relationship. In 2015, after breaking up with Irena Shabak, he began a new relationship with Lucia Villalon, a TV presenter and reporter in Spain.
On June 8, 2017, Ronaldo’s twin children, a girl and a boy, were born through surrogacy. Ronaldo’s fourth child, a girl, was born in Argentina in November 2017, from his relationship with Spanish model Georgina Rodriguez, and the couple continues to be in a relationship. According to their estimates, the second set of twins in the family was due to be born in 2022, but the boy was born prematurely and the only girl survived.
In January 2023, after Cristiano Ronaldo moved to Saudi Arabia with his family, the Saudi royal family exempted Ronaldo from the rule that couples who are not officially married are not allowed to live together in Saudi Arabia. A Saudi lawyer, who asked not to be identified, told the Spanish news agency:
“The kingdom’s laws still prohibit cohabitation without a marriage contract, but Saudi authorities have begun to turn a blind eye and stop prosecuting certain individuals, even if these laws are applied in cases of trouble or crime.”
Cristiano Ronaldo’s Net Worth
In May 2014, Forbes magazine ranked Cristiano Ronaldo as the highest-paid athlete in the world, with an estimated $73 million in earnings from wages, bonuses, and other miscellaneous income over the previous 12 months.
Cristiano Ronaldo earns a large portion of his income through endorsements and endorsement deals. Some of his endorsement deals include Emporio Armani and Nike underwear and jeans. He has also signed endorsement deals with Coca-Cola, Castrol, Konami, Banco Espirito Santo, Motorola, Jacob & Co, Herbalife, KFC, Tag Heuer, and Fly Emirates.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s net worth is estimated at $250 million.
Ronaldo’s Houses
Ronaldo’s House in Madrid:
After Ronaldo moved to Real Madrid for a whopping 80 million euros, he needed a luxurious home. So he bought a luxurious house in the prestigious area of La Finca, designed by renowned architect Ehudín Torres, for an impressive 4.8 million pounds. The house also has two indoor and outdoor swimming pools, which Ronaldo regularly uses in his training sessions.
This Madrid home has a state-of-the-art gym equipped with treadmills, a weight room and a stretching room, so Ronaldo can keep fit while at home. Outside, there is a football pitch next to the swimming pool and sun loungers.
Ronaldo has monogrammed all the door handles with his initials (CR).
Ronaldo’s house in Turin:
When Ronaldo joined Juventus in 2018, the move was prompted by the need for a home befitting the new king of Turin. The house is essentially two villas facing each other on a private road guarded by security forces leading to the main entrance.
Each of the villas has its own entrance and is surrounded by stunning and beautiful trees and greenery.
Cristiano Ronaldo was very interested in this house, because it was similar to his home in Madrid in many ways. Among the equipment of this house, we can mention a state-of-the-art gym that Cristiano Ronaldo used with Georgina, and at the same time, there is a swimming pool that he entered after doing difficult bodybuilding and weightlifting exercises to relax his muscles. The house is extremely luxurious and luxurious.
After Ronaldo made the purchase of the property, the magazine “Gazzetta dello Sport” wrote: “It seems that the city of Torben is completely under Cristiano Ronaldo’s feet. The city welcomes its newly arrived winner.”
During the years of the coronavirus pandemic in different parts of the world, Cristiano Ronaldo did not stop engaging in his usual pleasant activity, which is buying cars and luxury cars. The shining star of the Juventus team spent eight and a half million pounds on a Bugatti Gentodichi, of which only 10 were produced in the factory, to add another luxury car to his amazing car collection. At the age of 36, Ronaldo, while visiting the Ferrari company, after taking a few photos with Formula One cars, decided to buy a Ferrari Monza for 1.4 million pounds. This transaction caused the price of Cristiano Ronaldo’s car collection to reach an astonishing figure of 17 million pounds.
For example, here are some of the prominent cars in Ronaldo’s collection.
Bugatti Gentodichi, worth 6.34 million pounds
Mercedes G Wagon Brabus, worth 600 thousand pounds, which Georgina gave Cristiano Ronaldo for his 35th birthday.
Bugatti Chiron, worth £2.15 million
Bugatti Veyron, worth £1.7 million
Lamborghini Aventador, worth £260,40
Rolls Royce Cullinan, worth £330,000
Chevrolet Camaro, worth £35,000
Ferrari F12, worth £350,000
Ranger Rover Sport, worth £100,000
Mercedes AMG GLE 63, worth £127,000
McLaren Senna, worth £1 million
Sporting Life
Club Life:
Sporting:
When Cristiano Ronaldo was 16, the coach of Sporting’s youth team helped him get into the first team. He was so impressed with Ronaldo’s dribbling that he became the first player to play for the under-16s, under-17s, under-18s, as well as the club’s B team and first team in the same season. On 29 September 2002, Ronaldo made his league debut against Braga, a year after his debut, and on 7 October, he scored twice in a 3–0 win over Moreirense.
During the 2002–03 season, Ronaldo’s agent offered him to Liverpool manager Gerard Houllier and Barcelona president Joan Laporta. Meanwhile, Ronaldo’s style of play had caught the attention of Arsene Wenger, who met him at Arsenal’s stadium in November to discuss a possible move.
Following Sporting’s 3–1 defeat to Manchester United at the opening of the José Alvalade Stadium in August 2003, Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson decided to sign Ronaldo on a permanent deal. Initially, United officials planned to loan Ronaldo to Sporting for a year after signing him.
Many of the Manchester United players, impressed by Ronaldo’s performance, urged their manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, to sign him. After the game, Ferguson agreed to pay Sporting a fee of £12.24 million for the player he described as “one of the most intelligent young footballers” he had ever seen.
In April 2013, ten years after Ronaldo left Sporting, the club honored him by inducting him as their 10,000th member.
A decade after his departure, in April 2013, Sporting honored Ronaldo by electing him as their 100,000th member.
Manchester United:
07–2003:
On 12 August 2003, Ronaldo transferred to Manchester United for a fee that made him the most expensive teenager in English football history. He was the first Portuguese player to join the club. Ronaldo had intended to wear the number 28 shirt at Manchester United, as he had done at Sporting, but Alex Ferguson opposed his idea, saying: “You should wear the number 7 shirt, which has been worn by legendary players at the club, including George Best, Bryan Robson, Eric Cantona and David Beckham, and it is an honour for you.” Therefore, Ronaldo’s wearing the number 7 shirt was a double boost for him.
Ronaldo made his Manchester United debut for the club, playing 60 minutes against Bolton Wanderers. In November, he scored his first goal with a free kick against Portsmouth. During his first season in English football, Ronaldo scored the opening goal in United’s 3–0 victory over Millwall in the 2004 FA Cup Final, winning his first trophy with the club. On 29 October 2004, Ronaldo scored the club’s 1,000th goal in a 4–1 defeat at Middlesbrough. A few weeks later, he signed a new contract with the club, extending his previous contract. In the 2005–06 League Cup, Ronaldo scored the third goal as United beat Wigan Athletic 4–0 in the final, winning his second trophy in English football.
Many incidents occurred during Ronaldo’s third season in English football. In a match against Benfica, Ronaldo was banned for one match by UEFA for giving the “middle finger” to the fans. During the Manchester derby, which they lost 3–1, he was sent off for kicking former Manchester City player Andy Cole.
Ronaldo also clashed with teammate Ruud van Nistelrooy and insulted the winger’s style of play. At the same time, during the 2006 World Cup, he caused teammate Wayne Rooney to be sent off by his actions. However, after some time, due to the lack of support from Manchester United regarding that incident, he offered to move and leave the team, but United opposed it.
Although Ronaldo’s fight with Rooney during the World Cup caused him to be booed in the 2006–07 season, he nevertheless had a productive season. Because he scored around 20 goals for the first time and won his first Premier League title. Among the main reasons for this victory can be mentioned Ronaldo’s one-on-one training with the team’s coach Rene Meulensteen, who taught him how to make himself and his game more unpredictable in the eyes of others, improve his team play, chase the ball and make the most of his scoring opportunities, instead of waiting for an opportunity to score interesting goals as he had been known in the past.
In late December, Ronaldo scored twice against Wigan and Reading in a match against Aston Villa, which United won and put them top of the league. In November and December, he was named the Premier League Player of the Month, becoming only the third player in Premier League history to be named the Player of the Month for two consecutive months, after Dennis Bergkamp and Robbie Fowler.
In the spring of 2007, there was talk of a move for Ronaldo to Real Madrid. Real Madrid were prepared to pay €80 million for him, but Ronaldo refused to sign.
2007–08:
In the quarter-finals of the 2006–07 Champions League, Ronaldo scored his first goals in his 30th appearance in the competition, scoring twice in a 7–1 win over Roma. He then scored in the first leg of the semi-final against Milan, which ended in a 3–2 win. However, United lost the second leg 3–0 at San Siro and were eliminated from the competition.
During the 2007–08 Premier League season, Ronaldo won a number of individual awards. These included the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) Player of the Year, the Supporters’ Player of the Year and the PFA Young Player of the Year, as well as the Football Writers’ Association (FWA) Player of the Year, becoming the first player to win all four of the major PFA and FWA awards. His earnings were increased to £120,000 per week as part of a five-year extension to his contract signed in previous seasons.
The 2007 Ballon d’Or was awarded to Kaká, with Ronaldo finishing second behind Lionel Messi. Ronaldo also finished third behind Kaká and Messi for the 2007 FIFA World Player of the Year award.
On 12 January 2008, he scored his first hat-trick for United in a 6–0 win over Newcastle United. On 19 March of the same year, Ronaldo wore the captain’s armband for the first time against Bolton Wanderers. The match ended in a 2–0 win for Manchester United, with him scoring both goals. On 5 May, Ronaldo scored his 50th goal for Manchester United. In total, he scored 33 goals, equalling George Best’s record of 32. At the end of the season, Ronaldo won the Premier League Golden Boot and the European Golden Boot.
In the 2007–08 UEFA Champions League, Ronaldo scored seven goals in eleven matches. In the round of 16 of the competition, in a match between Manchester United and Olympique Lyonnais, Ronaldo scored the decisive goal to send United through to the quarter-finals with a 2–1 aggregate victory. In the next round, in the first match against Roma, he scored a header and United eliminated Roma 3–0 on aggregate. After that, Manchester eliminated Barcelona in the last match against Chelsea.
Although the match was going to be played with Ronaldo’s only goal until the last minutes, the competition ended with Ronaldo conceding a goal and a penalty that Ronaldo did not score. However, Manchester United still won the championship. In the meantime, Ronaldo was named the top scorer in the Champions League and also the best player of the year in the UEFA club competition.
During the 2007–08 season, Ronaldo was able to display his most beautiful and brilliant performance in his English career, scoring 42 goals in all competitions. Although he was banned for three matches for headbutting a Portsmouth player at the start of the season, he claimed that the incident taught him how to control his temper when provoked by rivals and opponents. After the end of this season, there were rumors that Ronaldo was interested in joining Real Madrid.
According to Sky Sports:
“Real Madrid have once again offered Ronaldo to join the Madrid Galaxy at last year’s price.”
United reported Real Madrid’s unprincipled and illegal offer to FIFA, but FIFA did not act on it. Sepp Blatter, who was president of FIFA at the time, believed that the player should have the right to leave his club and called the situation “modern slavery”. Ronaldo fully agreed with Blatter’s opinion. However, on 6 August he finally put an end to these ambiguities, as he stated that he intended to play for Manchester United for another year.
2008–09:
Before the start of the 2008–09 season, Ronaldo underwent ankle surgery under medical supervision on 7 July. This caused him to be away from the field for 10 weeks. After his return to action on 15 November, Ronaldo scored his 100th and 101st goals in all competitions for Manchester United, both from free kicks in a 5–0 win over Stoke City. He had scored against all 19 of his Premier League opponents at the time.
In late 2008, Ronaldo provided the decisive assist in the final against LEDU Quito, helping Manchester United win the Club World Cup and winning the Silver Ball. Ronaldo also won the 2008 Ballon d’Or. George Best was the last player to win the Ballon d’Or for Manchester United in 1968. Ronaldo also became the first Premier League player to win the FIFA World Player of the Year award.
After Manchester United’s 2–0 victory over AC Milan, they faced Parto in the quarter-finals of the 2008–09 Champions League. In the second leg, Cristiano Ronaldo’s single goal put Manchester United through to the next round, which was named the Goal of the Year by FIFA and Ronaldo was awarded the first FIFA Puskas Award. The goal was scored from a distance of about 40 metres and Ronaldo himself has described it as the best goal of his life. After being eliminated by Arsenal in the semi-finals, Manchester United reached the final. However, Ronaldo was not at his usual brilliant best in the match, and Manchester United lost 2-0 to Barcelona.
Ronaldo ended his time in English football by winning nine trophies, three consecutive titles and one Champions League title. By the end of the season, he had scored a total of 26 goals in all competitions, 16 fewer than the previous season. Ronaldo scored his last goal for Manchester United on 10 May 2009, from a free kick in the Manchester derby at Old Trafford.
One of the main factors in Ronaldo’s rise and rise during his time in English football was Ferguson. Ronaldo later said:
“He was my father in the sport, one of the most important and influential factors in my career.”
In July 2009, Alex Ferguson, Cristiano Ronaldo’s manager at Manchester United, said of him:
I have nothing but admiration for Ronaldo because he is the best football player in the world. He is far superior to Ricardo Kaka and Lionel Messi. He is ahead of everyone in the game of football and has amazing interaction and collaboration, brilliant goals and impressive statistics. He only sets his mind to scoring goals and moves towards that. Overall, he is truly amazing.
Real Madrid:
2009–10:
On 11 June 2009, Manchester United finally accepted Real Madrid’s record-breaking €94 million offer, and Ronaldo joined the ranks of Madrid’s brightest stars. Ronaldo signed a six-year contract with the club, earning him €11 million per season and with a €1 billion release clause.
On 6 July, an estimated 80,000 people turned up at the Santiago Bernabéu stadium for his welcome ceremony. This was the highest attendance ever held by a Madrid player, surpassing the record set by Diego Maradona when he joined Napoli. Prior to this, Javier Saviola had held the record for the most people in the club. Given that the club’s captain, Raúl, wore the number 7 shirt, Ronaldo was given the number 9 shirt.
Ronaldo scored his first goal for the club against LDU Quito. His first goal in La Liga came against Deportivo La Coruña, in a 3–2 home win, from the penalty spot. Real Madrid’s starting XI in the 2009–10 Champions League started well. In the first group match, he scored twice from free kicks against Zürich, which Real Madrid won 5–2. These were Ronaldo’s first goals for Real in the Champions League.
He then scored twice against Villarreal, establishing himself as the player who had scored in his first four La Liga games. In the next Champions League match, he scored twice against Olympique Marseille. He was then sidelined for seven weeks due to an ankle injury, which put an end to his brilliant start.
In the middle of the season, Cristiano Ronaldo won the 2009 Ballon d’Or and the FIFA World Player of the Year award, finishing second to Lionel Messi. He finished the season with a total of 33 goals in all competitions, including a hat-trick in a 4–1 win over Mallorca on 5 May 2010, his first hat-trick in La Liga, and Real Madrid’s top scorer of the season. Although Ronaldo’s performances helped the club to 96 league points, they failed to win a trophy in his first season at the club.
2010–11:
After Raúl left Real Madrid, Ronaldo was given the number 7 shirt. He scored four goals in a single match for the first time in his career, in a 6–1 win over Racing Santander. He then scored again against Athletic Bilbao, Levante, Villarreal and Málaga. However, despite his impressive performances, he failed to make the top three for the 2010 FIFA Ballon d’Or.
In the said season, Ronaldo played in four El Clasicos, including two semi-finals of the Champions League, which saw Madrid eliminated, and scored a goal. In the second leg of the league, which was tied with a penalty kick, and in the final of the Copa del Rey, where he scored the only goal in the 103rd minute, Ronaldo won his first trophy in Spain.
In the last match of the season against Almería, Ronaldo scored twice to become the first La Liga player to score 40 goals, breaking the records of Telmo Zara and Hugo Sánchez with 38 goals. In a poll on the websites of Marca and Real Madrid, Ronaldo was voted the top scorer of the year. Despite receiving the Pichichi Award, he received the European Golden Shoe Award for the second time, becoming the first player to win this award in different leagues. In total, Ronaldo scored 53 goals in the competition during the season, breaking the club’s record of 49 goals held by Ferenc Puskás.
2011–12:
In the 2011–12 season, Cristiano Ronaldo achieved his best goal-scoring performance, scoring 60 goals in the competition. Although he scored hat-tricks against Real Zaragoza, Rayo Vallecano, Málaga, Osasuna and Sevilla during these competitions, which put Real Madrid at the top of the league table in the final match of the season, he was named second in the 2011 FIFA Ballon d’Or behind Lionel Messi. However, Ronaldo also achieved double club victories in the league. After Ronaldo scored a hat-trick against Levante, Real Madrid increased their points lead over Barcelona and finally won the league title after four years by scoring a record 100 points.
On 24 March 2012, Ronaldo scored his 100th league goal for Real Madrid in a 5–1 win over Real Sociedad. He broke the club’s previous record set by Ferenc Puskás in 92 games over three seasons. He equalled his own tally from the previous season with a hat-trick in the Madrid derby against Atlético Madrid, taking his total to 40 league goals. He scored his final goal of the season against Mallorca, taking his total to 46, but still four goals shy of Messi’s latest record.
However, he became the first player to score against all 19 of his opponents in a single La Liga season. In May 2012, Real Madrid manager José Mourinho said: “I think Ronaldo has been much better this year than Lionel Messi.”
2012–13:
On August 23, 2012, in the 2012–13 season, Ronaldo scored his first goal in the first leg of the Spanish Super Cup against Barcelona at the Camp Nou, which Real Madrid lost 3–2. In the second leg at the Santiago Bernabéu, Real Madrid won the Super Cup 2–1 with Ronaldo’s goal. He equaled Ivan Zamorano’s record of scoring in five consecutive games.
On September 2, 2012, in a match against Granada, Ronaldo scored his 150th goal for the club. After the match, Ronaldo stated that he had refused to celebrate his 150th goal for the club due to a professional dispute at the club. However, several of his teammates at the club claimed that the club’s management and management were fully supportive of Ronaldo.
But in the meantime, his spokesman Jorge Mendes spoke about his dissatisfaction. Cristiano Ronaldo had said that this had nothing to do with his contract and the money he received from the club, and the club’s president, Florentino Perez, agreed with him. Barcelona president Joan Laporta believed that Ronaldo was under pressure and, after leaving the national team, had focused too much on his victories at the club and probably expected more from the club’s officials and staff. At the same time, José Mourinho stated: “Although Ronaldo is full of sadness, he plays his role perfectly for me as a player; and the fact that Andrés Iniesta was chosen as the European Player of the Year last season is one of the reasons for his dissatisfaction.” Despite these side words, Ronaldo’s performance and goalscoring were not affected. On 18 September, he scored his first goal of the 2012–13 Champions League season against Manchester City, in a 3–2 win for Real Madrid. On 30 December, Ronaldo scored his second hat-trick in La Liga against Deportivo La Coruña, in a 5–1 win for Real Madrid. On 4 October, Ronaldo scored his first hat-trick in the Champions League, in a 4–1 win over Ajax. Four days later, in a 2–2 draw at the Camp Nou, Ronaldo scored twice, becoming the first player to score in six consecutive El Clásicos.
In the Champions League that season, although Ronaldo scored the only goal for Real Madrid at home against Borussia Dortmund in the semi-finals, Real Madrid were defeated 4–1. Although the team won the second leg 2-0, they were eliminated in the semi-finals for the third consecutive year. Ronaldo was named top scorer in this season’s competition.
At the end of the season, Ronaldo again finished second in the 2012 Ballon d’Or, after Messi won it for the fourth time in a row.
2013–14:
At the start of the 2013–14 season, Ronaldo signed a contract extension with the club until 2018, earning €17 million, briefly becoming the highest-paid player in football. After Gareth Bale moved to Real Madrid for €100 million, four years after Madrid had paid a huge sum for Ronaldo, he broke the record for the most expensive football transfer. Ronaldo then formed an attacking triangle with Bale and Karim Benzema in Real Madrid, known as the BBC, an acronym for Bale, Benzema and Cristiano.
By the end of November, Ronaldo had scored 32 goals in 22 games for club and country, including hat-tricks against Galatasaray, Sevilla, Real Sociedad, Northern Ireland and Sweden. He also ended 2013 with 69 goals in 59 games, his highest tally in a single season. Ronaldo also won the 2013 FIFA Ballon d’Or, a combination of the Ballon d’Or and the World Player of the Year awards.
In addition to his individual achievements, Ronaldo achieved his greatest team achievement in Spanish football to date, as Real Madrid won their tenth European Cup, La Decima. After scoring from the penalty spot in the 120th minute, he became the first player to score for two different winning teams in the Champions League final in a 4–1 victory over Atlético Madrid.
He entered the finals with an injury that said, “You don’t win in life without sacrifice and you have to take risks.” He later said:
“You don’t win in life without sacrifice and you have to take risks.”
He was named UEFA’s top scorer in Europe for the third time, with a record 17 goals.
In the match against Atletico at the Vicente Calderón, which was played in the Copa del Rey, he scored two goals from penalties to send Real through to the finals. After scoring the first goal, he had now scored a goal in every minute of a 90-minute football match. Cristiano Ronaldo was unable to play in the finals due to recurring knee and thigh injuries. But Real Madrid won 2–1 against Barcelona and won the league title. In 30 league matches, Ronaldo scored 31 goals, earning him the Pichichi Award and the European Golden Shoe.
He also shared the second-place award with Liverpool striker Luis Suarez. On 6 January, Ronaldo scored his 400th career goal in 653 appearances for club and country against Celta Vigo. He dedicated the honour to his Portuguese friend Eusebio, who had passed away two days earlier.
On 4 May, Ronaldo scored a last-gasp volley against Valencia. The goal was his 50th in all competitions that season and was voted the best goal of the season by the La Liga Association. Ronaldo was also named the best player in La Liga this season.
2014–15:
During the 2014–15 season, Cristiano Ronaldo increased his goalscoring record in all competitions from 60 to 61, starting with two goals in Real Madrid’s 2–0 win over Sevilla in the European Super Cup. He made a brilliant start to his career, scoring 15 goals in his first eight league games. On 6 December, he scored his 23rd La Liga hat-trick against Celta Vigo, making him the fastest player to reach 200 goals in La Liga. After winning the Club World Cup, Ronaldo also won the 2014 Ballon d’Or, joining Johan Cruyff, Michel Platini and Marco van Basten in winning the award for the third time.
Real Madrid finished the season in second place in La Liga and were eliminated in the semi-finals of the Champions League. He then scored hat-tricks against Sevilla, Espanyol and Getafe, taking his tally to 31, breaking Di Stéfano’s record of 28. In the league, he scored 48 goals, winning his second Pichichi Award and the European Golden Shoe for the fourth time, a record in its own right.
2015–16:
As Cristiano Ronaldo began his seventh season at Madrid, he became the club’s all-time top scorer, first in the league and then in all competitions. On 12 September, in a 6–0 away win over Espanyol, Ronaldo scored five goals, taking his tally to 230 goals in 203 La Liga appearances, surpassing Raúl’s previous record. A month later, on 17 October, he scored the second goal in a 3–0 defeat to Levante at the Bernabéu, taking his tally to 324 goals in club football, surpassing Raúl.
Ronaldo then became the all-time top scorer in the Champions League with a hat-trick in the opening group match against Shakhtar Donetsk, surpassing Messi’s previous record of 77 goals. On 30 September, in a 2–0 away win against Malmö FF, he reached 500 goals for club and country.
On 5 March 2006, in a home win against Celta de Vigo, Ronaldo scored four goals, taking his total to 252 goals in La Liga, becoming the second-highest scorer in the competition’s history, behind Messi. He scored a hat-trick against Wolfsburg to send his team to the semi-finals of the Champions League. With these hat-tricks, Ronaldo’s number of goals in the competition reached 16 goals, and he was declared the top scorer of the competition for the fourth consecutive season and for the fifth time.
Due to injuries, Ronaldo performed poorly in the 2014 final against Atlético Madrid; although his penalty kick helped Real Madrid win their 11th European Cup. Ronaldo’s introduction as the top scorer of the competition placed him among the players who have won three European Cups in their careers. He was able to finish the said season with more than 50 goals in all competitions for the sixth consecutive year, of course, taking into account the extra effort he showed in the competitions of the season, he won the UEFA Best Player in Europe award for the second time.
2016–17:
Ronaldo missed Real Madrid’s first three matches of the 2016–17 season, and the 2016 UEFA Super Cup against Sevilla, as he continued to recover from a knee injury sustained in the Euro 2016 final against France. On 15 September, he was visibly unimpressed after scoring a last-minute equaliser from a free kick against Sporting CP, saying after the match:
“They made me who I am.”
On 7 November, Cristiano Ronaldo extended his contract with the club for a second three-year period, until 2021.
On 19 November, he scored a hat-trick in a 3–0 away win against Atlético Madrid, becoming the all-time leading scorer in the Madrid derby with 18 goals. On 15 December, Ronaldo reached his 500th career club goal in a 2–0 win over Club America in the semi-finals of the 2016 Club World Cup. He then scored a hat-trick in a 4–2 victory over Japanese side Kashima Antlers in the final. Ronaldo ended the tournament as the tournament’s top scorer with four goals and was named the tournament’s best player.
He won the 2016 Ballon d’Or, his fourth, and was named FIFA Men’s Player of the Year at the inaugural FIFA The Best Awards, a tribute to the previous year’s FIFA The Best award, which he largely attributed to his success with Portugal at Euro 2016.
In the 2016–17 UEFA Champions League quarter-final against Bayern Munich in April, Ronaldo scored both goals in a 2–1 away win, becoming the first player to reach 100 goals in UEFA club competition. In the second leg, Ronaldo scored a hat-trick to become the first player to do so. Real Madrid then defeated Bayern Munich 4–2 in extra time.
On 2 May, he scored another hat-trick as Real Madrid won the first leg of their Champions League semi-final 3–0 against Atlético Madrid, comfortably qualifying for the next round. On 17 May, Ronaldo scored twice against Celta de Vigo, overtaking Jamie Vardy as the all-time leading scorer in Europe’s top five leagues.
Ronaldo finished the season with 42 goals in all competitions, helping Real Madrid to their first La Liga title since 2012. In the Champions League final, Ronaldo scored twice in a 4–1 win over Juventus, his 600th career goal. Ronaldo scored 12 goals during the season, making him the tournament’s top scorer for the fifth consecutive season, or sixth overall, and becoming the first player to score in three Champions League finals. Real Madrid also became the first team to win two consecutive Champions League finals.
2017–18:
At the start of the 2017–18 season, Cristiano Ronaldo scored Madrid’s second goal in the 80th minute of the 2017 Spanish Super Cup, in the first leg of the 2017 Spanish Super Cup at the Camp Nou, against Barcelona, which ended in a 3–1 victory. He was sent off just two minutes after scoring the goal, and was unable to play in the second leg. However, Real Madrid went on to win the title. His performance throughout 2017 earned him the FIFA Men’s Player of the Year award for the second consecutive year on 23 October. On 6 December, Ronaldo became the first player to score in all six group stage matches of the Champions League.
The following day, Ronaldo won his fifth Ballon d’Or at the Eiffel Tower in Paris. On 16 December, he converted a free kick as Real Madrid beat Grêmio in the final to win their second consecutive Club World Cup. On 18 March, he scored his 50th career hat-trick, scoring four goals in a 6–3 win over Girona.
On 3 April, in the 2017–18 UEFA Champions League quarter-finals, Ronaldo scored the first two goals in a 3–0 away win over Juventus, the second of which was an acrobatic overhead kick. Ronaldo’s foot was 7 feet 7 inches (2.31 m) off the ground, and he received a standing ovation from the opposing team’s supporters in the stadium. Juventus defender Andrea Barzagli described it as a “video game” goal, and it received widespread praise from players, pundits and coaches. The goal was voted the best goal of the 2017–18 UEFA Champions League season by a poll conducted by UEFA.
On 11 April, Cristiano Ronaldo scored a penalty in the 98th minute of extra time to give Real Madrid a 3–1 victory over Juventus in the second leg, which progressed 4–3 on aggregate. The goal was Ronaldo’s tenth goal against Juventus.
In fact, he set a record against a single club in the Champions League. On 26 May, Real Madrid beat Liverpool 3–1 in the final, clinching their first Champions League title. He became the first player to achieve this feat. Ronaldo had been the top scorer in the competition for six consecutive seasons, scoring 15 goals. After the final, he spoke about his time at Madrid in previous years, leading to speculation that he might be leaving the club.
Juventus:
After months of negotiations to agree a new contract with Real Madrid, on 10 July 2018, Ronaldo signed a four-year contract with Italian club Juventus for a fee of €112 million. The transfer was the most expensive fee ever paid for a player over the age of 30. It was also one of the highest fees ever paid by an Italian club for a player. After the deal was signed, Ronaldo stated that he had decided to leave Real Madrid because he wanted to move on. However, he later added that he left because of Florentino Pérez.
2018–19:
On 18 August, Cristiano Ronaldo made his competitive debut against Chievo Verona, which he won 3–2 away from home. On 16 September, he scored his first goal for Juventus in his fourth match, a 2–1 home win over Sassuolo in Serie A. He scored his second goal, his 400th goal for the club. On 19 September, in his first match for Juventus in the Champions League, Ronaldo was sent off in the 29th minute for aggressive behaviour.
This was his first red card in 154 appearances in the competition. A 1–0 home win over Valencia, scored by Mario Mandžukić, secured Juventus’ qualification to the knockout stages. Ronaldo also became the first player in history to win 100 Champions League matches.
After finishing second in the UEFA Men’s Player of the Year and FIFA Men’s Player of the Year awards, Ronaldo was named runner-up for the 2018 Ballon d’Or for the first time in three years, behind former teammate Luka Modrić. On 16 July 2019, he won his first trophy with Juventus in the Italian Super Cup, scoring the only goal of the game, a header, against Milan.
On 10 February, Cristiano Ronaldo scored in a 3–0 win over Sassuolo. In fact, it was the ninth consecutive away game in which he had scored in the league, equalling Giuseppe Signori’s record for the most consecutive away games in Serie A with fewer than one goal. On 12 March, Ronaldo scored a hat-trick in a 3–0 home win over Atlético Madrid in the second leg of the Champions League round of 16, as Juventus advanced to the quarter-finals despite losing the first leg 2–0.
A month later, on 10 April, he scored his 125th goal in the competition, scoring in a 1–1 away draw against Ajax in the first leg of the quarter-finals. On 16 April, he scored the first goal in the return leg in Turin, but Juventus were ultimately eliminated from the competition after a 2–1 defeat. On 20 April, after a match against Fiorentina, which Juventus won 2–1 at home, Ronaldo became the first player to win the league titles in England, Spain and Italy.
On 27 April, he scored his 600th goal for the club, a 1–1 draw away to Inter Milan. Ronaldo ended his first season in Serie A with 21 goals and 8 assists, winning the Serie A Player of the Year award.
2019–20:
During the 2019–20 season, Ronaldo scored his first goal in a 4–3 home win over Napoli in the league on 31 August 2019. On 23 September, he won the FIFA Men’s Player of the Year award in third place. On 1 October, Ronaldo set several records in Juventus’ 3–0 Champions League group stage win over Bayer Leverkusen, including scoring in the 14th consecutive season, equalling Raúl and Messi, and breaking Iker Casillas’ record for most Champions League wins of all time.
He also equalled Raúl’s record of scoring against 33 different opponents. On 18 December, Ronaldo leapt 2.57 metres (8.2 ft) over the crossbar to head the winner in a 3–1 away win over Sampdoria. On 6 January 2020, Ronaldo scored his first hat-trick in a 4–0 home win over Cagliari, his 56th career hat-trick and only the second player to score a hat-trick in the Premier League, La Liga and Serie A after Alexis Sanchez. On 2 February, in a 3–0 home win over Fiorentina, Ronaldo scored twice from the penalty spot, equalling David Trezeguet’s record of scoring in nine consecutive league games for the club.
Six days later, Ronaldo set a new record by scoring his tenth consecutive away league goal in a 2–1 defeat to Hellas Verona. On 22 February, Cristiano Ronaldo equalled Gabriel Batistuta and Fabio Quagliarella’s record for most consecutive away Serie A games in a season by scoring in a 2–1 away win against SPAL, his 1,000th match of his career.
On 4 July, Ronaldo scored his 25th league goal in a 4–1 home win over Torino, from a free kick, becoming the first Juventus player to achieve this feat since Omar Severi in 1961. In fact, the win was the first goal from a free kick for Juventus, after 43 unsuccessful attempts. On 20 July, Ronaldo scored twice in a 2–1 home win over Lazio, the first of which was his 50th goal in Serie A.
He became the second fastest player to reach this milestone after Gunnar Nordahl, and the first player to score at least 50 goals in the Premier League, La Liga and Serie A. He also scored 30 league goals during the season, becoming only the third Juventus player to do so, after Felice Borrell in 1934 and Jan Hansen in 1952.
In addition, at the age of 35 years and 166 days, Ronaldo became the oldest player to score 30 goals in one of Europe’s top five leagues since Ronnie Rooke’s time with Arsenal in 1948. On 26 July, Ronaldo scored the opening goal in a 2–0 home win over Sampdoria to help Juventus win their ninth consecutive Serie A title. He finished his second season in Serie A with 31 goals, and after winning the European Golden Shoe, he became the league’s second top scorer, behind Ciro Immobile with 36 goals. On 7 August, he scored a goal in a 2–1 home win over Lyon in the second leg of the Champions League round of 16, taking his tally to 37 goals in all competitions for the season. This feat allowed him to break his club record of 36 goals in a single season. Despite winning both legs of the tie, Juventus were eliminated from the Champions League on away goals.
2020–21:
On 20 September 2020, in the first match of the season, Cristiano Ronaldo scored his first goal for Juventus in a home match against Sampdoria. On 1 November, after spending about three weeks recovering from COVID-19, he returned to action against Spezia. He came on as a second-half substitute and scored after just three minutes. He then scored his second goal from the penalty spot in a 4–1 away win. On 2 December, in the group stage of the Champions League, he scored his 750th career goal against Dinamo București.
On 13 December, Ronaldo made his 100th appearance for Juventus in all competitions, converting two penalties in a 3–1 league win over Genoa, taking his total goals for the club to 79. On 20 January 2021, Juventus won the 2020 Italian Super Cup after defeating Napoli 2–0, with Ronaldo scoring the first goal. On 2 March, in a 3–0 win over Spezia, he scored one of the goals to become the first player to score at least 20 goals in Europe’s top five leagues in 13 consecutive seasons.
On 14 March, he reached his 57th hat-trick, in a 3–1 away win over Cagliari. On 12 May, in a 3–1 away win over Sassuolo, Ronaldo scored a goal to become the fastest Juventus player to reach the milestone in all competitions, in his 131st appearance for the club.
On 19 May, in the 2021 Coppa Italia final, Ronaldo became the first player in history to win all major domestic titles in English, Spanish and Italian football. He scored 29 goals in the season and was named the Capocannoniere as the top scorer in Serie A. He also became the first player to be named the top scorer in the top leagues in English, Spanish and Italian football.
On 22 August, Ronaldo started the first match of the new season on the bench, then came on as a substitute for Álvaro Morata in a 2–2 draw against Udinese, scoring a goal that was disallowed by VAR. Despite Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri’s claims that Ronaldo was in this condition due to his physical condition, there were rumors that he would leave the club before the end of the transfer window. However, Ronaldo had stated that he had no intention of continuing to play for Juventus. On 26 August, Ronaldo, along with his agent Jorge Mendes, reached an agreement with Manchester City. However, the following day, Juventus pulled out of the deal due to the overall cost of the transfer. On the same day, it was revealed that City’s rivals Manchester United, Ronaldo’s former club, were in talks to sign him. This came after Sir Alex Ferguson and some of his former teammates made calls to try to convince Ronaldo to join.
Return to Manchester United:
On 27 August 2021, Manchester United announced that they had reached an agreement with Juventus for Ronaldo to return, subject to certain conditions. The transfer, for an initial fee of £12.85 million, was completed on a two-year deal, with one year of the deal being optional, and took effect on 31 August. Ronaldo was given the number 7 shirt after Edinson Cavani agreed to change his shirt number to 21. It is said that in just the first 24 hours of selling Ronaldo’s shirt, he set a new all-time record after the transfer, overtaking Lionel Messi after his move to Paris Saint-Germain.
2021–22:
On September 11, Cristiano Ronaldo made his first appearance since returning to Old Trafford, scoring the first two goals in a 4–1 win over Newcastle. On 29 September, he scored a late goal in Manchester United’s 2–1 home win over Villarreal in the Champions League, breaking Casillas’ record for most appearances in the competition. On 23 November, Ronaldo became the first player to score in five consecutive Champions League matches for an English club after scoring the opening goal in Manchester United’s 2–0 away win over Villarreal. His six goals in that stage were crucial in Manchester United’s qualification to the last 16 as the first team. On 2 December, Ronaldo scored twice in a 3–2 home win over Arsenal in the league, taking his tally to 800 career goals.
2022_ Final season and departure:
Cristiano Ronaldo did not take part in the club’s pre-season tour of Thailand and Australia due to family issues. There were rumors that he would like to leave the team and join a club that participates in the Champions League. Despite the insistence of new coach Erik ten Hag that he is not for sale and is part of the club’s plans; his agent Jorge Mendes still started talks with different clubs to transfer him on loan or for free.
In the meantime, clubs such as Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea, with new owner Todd Bohle, were interested in moving him. However, considering Ronaldo’s age, the overall cost of the transfer and the high salary demanded, some European clubs refused to accept it. In particular, Chelsea, after their coach Thomas Tuchel opposed it.
After failing to secure a move away from the club, Ronaldo lost his place in the first team, with Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial taking his place, and he only played in the Europa League. On 15 September, when Ronaldo was 37, he scored his first goal in the competition against Sharif Tiraspol. On 2 October, when United lost 6–3 to Manchester City, Ronaldo was an unused substitute, with manager Ten Hag stating: “I did not intend to start him in that match, out of respect for his career.” On 9 October, Ronaldo came on as a substitute and scored his 700th goal for the club in a 2–1 win over Everton. Ten days later, Ronaldo refused to come on as a substitute in a home game against Tottenham and left the bench before the final whistle. Ten Hag left him off the bench for the upcoming match against Chelsea and reprimanded him, forcing him to train separately from the first team.
After speaking with the manager, Cristiano Ronaldo joined the team’s training session and scored the third goal in United’s home win over Sheriff on 27 October, securing Manchester United’s place in the Europa League knockout stages. On 6 November, in a match against Aston Villa, Ten Hag named Ronaldo the team captain, stating that Ronaldo was an important part of the team. “We are very happy with him and we need him to lead the team now.” Ten Hag then announced that Ronaldo would miss United’s next games until the World Cup break due to illness.
On 14 November, Ronaldo gave an interview to the Old Man’s News Agency in which he said that he was suspicious of Ten Hag and the club’s top management and that they had violated his interests and were trying to force him to leave United. He accused the club of being suspicious of his daughter’s illness when he was absent from pre-season games and matches. He also added that he had no respect for Ten Hag, saying that he had never received any respect from him and that this had made him lose touch with the club’s staff.
Cristiano Ronaldo claimed that Ten Hag had deliberately provoked him, first putting him on the bench against City and then bringing him on in the final minutes of the match against Tottenham. Ronaldo went on to say that he deeply regretted his decision to leave United early. He also challenged the appointment of Rangnick last season, saying that he was meant to be the sporting director, not the manager! Regarding the club, he said that since Alex Ferguson left in 2013, despite changes in technology and infrastructure, there had been no fundamental change at the club.
He claimed that the Glazer family did not value the club because he had not had the opportunity to talk to them until then, and described United as a “marketing club”. Following the conversation, which was published in two parts on 16th and 17th November, United attempted to create conditions that would allow them to legally terminate Ronaldo’s contract. Ultimately, in a bilateral agreement with the highest level of urgency, his contract was terminated on 22nd November, thus ending Ronaldo’s time at Manchester United.
Al-Nasr:
On December 30, 2022, Saudi Arabian club Al-Nasr signed Ronaldo on a two-year contract from January 1, 2023, until 2025. Ronaldo is the highest-paid player in the world, earning an annual salary of €200 million, the highest in football history. According to Fabrizio Romano of The Guardian, Ronaldo turned down offers from Sporting, Kansas City and City to join Al-Nasr.
Ronaldo was due to play in a league match against Al-Tai on January 5, 2023, but was forced to serve a two-match suspension while still at Manchester United after breaking the ear of a 14-year-old Orton fan during the 1–0 defeat at Goodison Park.
On 19 January 2023, he made his first appearance for Al-Nasr in an exhibition match against Paris Saint-Germain, playing for both Al-Hilal and Al-Nasr. On 22 January, Ronaldo made his first official appearance for Al-Nasr as captain, playing the full 90 minutes in a 1–0 win over Al-Ittifaq.
He also scored his first goal in a 2–2 draw against Al-Fath, converting a penalty in the dying minutes. On 9 February, Ronaldo scored all four goals in a 4–0 win over Al-Wahda, his first goal in the match being his 500th career goal in the league.
After Ronaldo’s move to Al-Nasr was confirmed, the club said in a statement: “This is more than history. This is a contract that will not only inspire our club to achieve greater success, but also inspire our league, our nation and our future generations. Helping boys and girls to be their best. Welcome to your new home, Ronaldo!”
Ronaldo said after joining Al-Nasr: “I am very excited and eager to experience new things in a different country. I look forward to meeting and getting to know my new teammates. Together we will strive to achieve more and higher victories.
International career:
On 30 August 2003, Ronaldo made his international debut against Kazakhstan.
UEFA Euro 2004:
At the 2004 UEFA Euro, Ronaldo scored his first international goal in the group stage against Greece, in a 2–1 defeat to Portugal. He scored his second international goal in the semi-final against the Netherlands, in a 2–1 victory. Ronaldo was named a star in the UEFA Euro 2004 finals, scoring twice. He was also selected to represent Portugal at the 2004 Summer Olympics.
FIFA World Cup 2006:
In the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, Ronaldo became the second-highest scorer in Europe with seven goals. He scored his first goal in the 2006 FIFA World Cup, a penalty kick against Iran. In the quarter-finals, Ronaldo faced England and his Manchester United teammates Wayne Rooney.
Wayne Rooney got into an argument with Ronaldo after fouling Portuguese defender Ricardo Carvalho, and the referee showed him a red card. After the match, Cristiano Ronaldo stated that he did not mean for Rooney to be sent off. On 4 July, referee Elizondo stated that Rooney was not sent off because of his argument with Ronaldo.
The reaction in the English media had even led Ronaldo to consider leaving Manchester United, but this did not happen.
In the semi-finals, Portugal lost to France and in the group stage, they were defeated by the hosts Germany and finished fourth. Ronaldo missed out on the Young Player of the Year award due to the lack of competition from England, which went to Lukas Podolski of Germany.
Captaincy:
On 6 February 2007, just one day after his 22nd birthday, Ronaldo was given the captaincy for the first time in a friendly match between Portugal and Brazil. The captaincy was signed by the president of the Portuguese Football Confederation, Carlos Silva, just two days before his death. Felipe Scolari stated:
“Mr Silva asked me to choose [Ronaldo] as the captain of the Portuguese team… [He] was very young, but Mr Silva asked me to. And now he is no longer with us.”
When Carlos Queiroz was appointed as the new coach of the Portugal team in July 2008, he praised Cristiano Ronaldo for his captaincy.
Euro 2008:
In the 2008 European Championship qualifiers, Cristiano Ronaldo scored eight goals for Portugal, second only to Poland’s Eusebius Smolark. However, he only scored once in the 2008 European Championship, in a 3–1 group stage win over the Czech Republic, and was named man of the match. Portugal were eliminated in the quarter-finals by Germany 3–2.
World Cup 2010:
In all three of Portugal’s Group G matches at the 2010 World Cup, Cristiano Ronaldo was named man of the match. He scored only one goal in the 2010 World Cup, against North Korea, on 31 June, as Portugal won 7–0. The goal was Portugal’s last goal for the national team in 16 months. Portugal were then eliminated in the round of 16 by Spain.
UEFA Euro 2012:
In the qualifying round of the UEFA Euro 2012, Cristiano Ronaldo scored seven goals, two of which came against Bosnia and Herzegovina in the play-offs. In the draw for the UEFA Euro 2012, Portugal were drawn in Group B, known as the Group of Death, alongside Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands. In an interview with reporters, Cristiano Ronaldo said:
“I will only reach the pinnacle of my football if I win a trophy with Portugal.”
In the group stages, after Portugal lost to Germany, Ronaldo’s performance was criticized by others. One of his teammate Nani said:
“He left the pitch angry and needs to rest. He did a great job as a team and was under a lot of pressure and will soon silence his critics.”
Luis Figo had said this in response to the criticism of Cristiano Ronaldo and his behavior:
“He should always be a successful captain for his national team; although this is what has happened.”
During the Portugal-Denmark match, when the ball reached Cristiano Ronaldo’s feet, the German fans chanted Lionel Messi’s name repeatedly. Ronaldo responded to reporters who asked him about Messi’s chants:
“Do you know where Lionel Messi was at this time last year? Do you know? He competed with his national team in the 2011 Copa America and was eliminated. Was Argentina’s fate better than Portugal’s? People think he is the best player in the world; that is normal for a great player in world football.”
In the final group game, Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice against the Netherlands, securing Portugal’s place in the next round. The match ended in a 2-1 victory for Portugal. He was also named the best player of the group stage twice.
2014 World Cup:
Cristiano Ronaldo scored a total of eight goals in qualifying for the 2014 World Cup. On 17 October 2012, he made his 100th appearance in a 1–1 draw against Northern Ireland in a qualifying match. He scored his first international hat-trick against Northern Ireland on 6 September 2013, when Ronaldo scored three goals in just 15 minutes in a 4–2 win in the qualifiers.
After Portugal had generally failed to perform to their best during the tournament, Ronaldo scored all four of his team’s goals in a play-off match against Sweden, which was described as a battle between Cristiano Ronaldo and Zlatan Ibrahimović. This ensured Portugal’s qualification to the finals. During the second match, Cristiano Ronaldo scored a hat-trick, taking his international tally to 47, equalling Pauleta’s record.
On 5 March 2014, Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice in a 5–1 friendly win over Cameroon to become Portugal’s all-time leading scorer.
Despite suffering from a hamstring injury, Ronaldo still played in the World Cup, which put his career and career at risk. Cristiano Ronaldo later said:
“If we had two or three Cristiano Ronaldos in the team, I would feel more comfortable. But we don’t.”
Despite concerns about his fitness, he played the full 90 minutes in the first match against Germany. However, he was unable to prevent his country from being defeated 4–0. Cristiano Ronaldo provided the assist for the 2-2 draw against the United States in the decisive minutes of the match and scored the 2-1 winner against Ghana in the final minutes. The goal was his 50th international goal, making him the first Portuguese player to play and score in three World Cups. Portugal were ultimately eliminated in the group stage on goal difference.
UEFA Euro 2016:
In the Euro 2016 qualifiers, Cristiano Ronaldo scored two goals and a hat-trick against Armenia. On 14 November 2014, Cristiano Ronaldo scored a goal in a 1-0 win over Armenia, taking his tally to 23 goals in the qualifying and final rounds of the European Championship, making him the tournament’s all-time leading scorer. At the start of the final round, Portugal drew with Iceland and Austria, but despite Ronaldo’s best efforts and 20 shots on goal, he failed to convert his chances into goals.
In the match against Austria, he surpassed Figo as the record holder for most appearances for Portugal, with his 128th international appearance, and the match ended goalless after Ronaldo missed a penalty in the second half. In the final group match, Ronaldo scored twice in a 3-3 draw against Hungary, becoming the first player to score in four European Championships, taking his tally to 17 appearances in the competition. Portugal finished third in their group, behind Hungary and Iceland. However, due to some considerations in the competition, they advanced despite not winning any of their group matches.
In the first leg of the knockout stage, after Ronaldo’s only close shot was saved by Croatia goalkeeper Danijel Subasic, the ball fell to Ricardo Quaresma, who scored in the dying moments of extra time to give Portugal the win. Portugal then beat Poland on penalties, with Ronaldo scoring the first penalty of the match.
He also became the first player to reach three European Championship semi-finals, scoring the opening goal in a 2–0 victory over Wales. In the final against hosts France, Ronaldo was only able to play for 25 minutes after a collision with Dimitri Bait, despite receiving treatment and trying to continue in the match. After the match went into extra time, Adel scored in the 109th minute to give Portugal a 1-0 victory, and Ronaldo, as captain of the Portuguese national team, lifted the trophy in his country’s first major competition.
2018 World Cup:
In the 2018 World Cup in Russia, Portugal, led by Cristiano Ronaldo, were drawn in the group stage alongside Spain, Iran and Morocco. Ronaldo scored a hat-trick in the first match against Spain, becoming the oldest player to score a hat-trick in a World Cup match. He was also the first Portuguese player to score goals in four World Cups, and one of only four players from any nationality to do so. In Portugal’s 1-0 win over Morocco, Ronaldo scored the only goal of the game, surpassing Puskas’ record as the all-time leading European scorer with 85 international goals.
In the final group match against Iran, Ronaldo missed a penalty that was saved by Iran goalkeeper Beiranvand, and the match ended in a 1-1 draw, allowing Portugal to advance to the next round in second place behind Spain. Portugal were eliminated in the round of 16 after losing 2–1 to Uruguay. Ronaldo was named in the World Cup’s Dream Team for his performance in the tournament.
UEFA Nations League 2019:
After the World Cup, Ronaldo missed six international matches. He played in the first round of the 2018–19 UEFA Nations League, but he did play in the finals for Portugal. In the semi-finals against Switzerland, Ronaldo scored a hat-trick to send Portugal through to the finals. After scoring his first goal in the competition, he became the first player to score in 10 consecutive international matches, breaking a record previously held by Ghana’s Asamoah Gyan. Four days later, Portugal defeated the Netherlands 1–0 to become the first-ever UEFA Nations League champion.
EURO 2020:
On 15 June 2021, Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice in Portugal’s first match at the European Championship, a 3-0 win over Hungary in Budapest. In this match, he scored 11 goals in total in the European Championship, two more than Michel Platini, becoming the tournament’s all-time top scorer. He also became the first player to score in 11 consecutive tournaments in five European Championships. His goals against Hungary made him the oldest player to score two goals in a single match at the tournament, and the oldest Portuguese player to score in a major tournament.
On 23 June, Ronaldo scored two penalties in Portugal’s 2–2 draw with France in the final minutes of the group stage, equalling Ali Daei’s record of 109 international goals. On 27 June, Portugal were eliminated from the tournament in the round of 16 after losing 1–0 to Belgium. Ronaldo finished the tournament with five goals and one assist, earning him the Golden Boot.
2022 World Cup:
Cristiano Ronaldo was named in the Portugal squad for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, his fifth World Cup. In Portugal’s first match against Ghana, Ronaldo converted a penalty, becoming the first male player to score goals in five different World Cups. In the final group match against South Korea, Ronaldo was reprimanded by the team’s manager for his reaction to being substituted off the pitch. Following this, he was dropped from Portugal’s starting line-up for the round of 16 match against Switzerland, marking the first time since Euro 2008 that he had not started a major international tournament for Portugal, and the first time since Euro 2000 that Portugal had started a knockout match without Ronaldo in the starting line-up.
He came on at the end of the match as Gonzalo Ramos, Cristiano Ronaldo’s replacement, had scored a hat-trick, helping Portugal to their best 6–1 win in a World Cup knockout match since the 1966 World Cup. In the quarter-final against Morocco, Portugal’s coach repeated the same policy, bringing Ronaldo off the bench. However, his efforts and those of his teammates were unsuccessful in preventing Portugal from winning 1–0. Morocco became the first African nation to reach the semi-finals of the World Cup.
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