How Cristiano Ronaldo built a successful career. Explore key moments that defined the journey.
Cristiano Ronaldo, nicknamed CR7, is a Portuguese professional footballer widely regarded as one of the greatest of all time. He currently plays for Al Nassr and captains the Portugal national team. His accolades include five Ballon d'Or awards, a record three UEFA Men's Player of the Year Awards, and four European Golden Shoes. Ronaldo has won 33 trophies, including seven league titles, five UEFA Champions Leagues, and the UEFA European Championship. He holds records for most Champions League goals (140) and assists (42), European Championship goals (14) and assists (8), and most international appearances (219) and goals (136). He is one of the few players to exceed 1,200 professional appearances and has scored over 900 official senior career goals, making him the all-time top goalscorer.
On 20 July 2020, Ronaldo became the oldest player, at the age of 35 years and 166 days, to score over 30 goals in one of the five top European leagues since Ronnie Rooke with Arsenal in 1948.
In 1997, at age 12, Ronaldo signed with Sporting CP.
On 14 August 2002, at age 17, Ronaldo played his first official match for Sporting CP's first team, in a UEFA Champions League qualifying round against Inter Milan.
On 12 August 2003, Manchester United signed Ronaldo for £12 million, an England record for a teenager.
On August 20, 2003, at the age of 18, Cristiano Ronaldo made his debut for the Portugal national team as a substitute against Kazakhstan.
In 2003, Ronaldo began playing for Manchester United, winning the FA Cup in his first season.
In 2003, at the age of 18, Ronaldo made his international debut for Portugal.
On 15 May 2004, Ronaldo scored the opening goal and received the first red card of his career in a victory against Aston Villa. He also scored in United's FA Cup Final win.
In 2004, after the Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, Cristiano Ronaldo visited Aceh, Indonesia, to raise funds for rehabilitation and reconstruction after seeing an eight-year-old boy survivor wearing a Portuguese football shirt.
In 2006, Cristiano Ronaldo opened a fashion boutique under the name CR7 (his initials and shirt number) on the island of Madeira.
In the 2006 FIFA World Cup, Ronaldo was a focal part of the team that finished in fourth place.
In January 2008, Ronaldo scored his first hat-trick for Manchester United in a 6–0 win against Newcastle United.
In 2008, Cristiano Ronaldo donated undisclosed damages from a libel case against The Sun newspaper to a charity in Madeira.
In 2008, Cristiano Ronaldo opened a second fashion boutique under the name CR7 in Lisbon.
In 2009, Cristiano Ronaldo donated £100,000 to the hospital in Madeira that saved his mother's life, to help them build a cancer center.
In 2009, Ronaldo signed for Real Madrid in a transfer worth €94 million (£80 million).
As a result of United finishing in a disappointing sixth place and qualifying for the UEFA Europa League in 2022, Ronaldo went trophyless for the first time since 2010.
During the 2010 World Cup, Cristiano Ronaldo scored one goal and was named man of the match in all three group stage matches.
In 2010, in support of the victims of the Madeira flood, Cristiano Ronaldo pledged to play in a charity match in Madeira between Primeira Liga club Porto and players from Madeiran-based clubs Marítimo and Nacional.
In December 2011, Cristiano Ronaldo launched an iPhone game called Heads Up with Cristiano, created by developer RockLive.
In the 2011-12 season, Ronaldo won a record-breaking La Liga title.
On 24 March 2012, Ronaldo scored his 100th league goal for Real Madrid in a 5–1 win over Real Sociedad, breaking the club record.
In December 2012, Cristiano Ronaldo joined FIFA's "11 for Health" program to raise awareness among kids about avoiding drug addiction, HIV, malaria, and obesity.
Between 2012 and 2018, Ronaldo finished as the Champions League's top scorer for six consecutive seasons.
In 2012, Cristiano Ronaldo commented on his rivalry with Lionel Messi, acknowledging the competition and its positive impact. He also noted that they don't have a personal relationship outside of football.
In 2012, following the 2012–13 winter break, Ronaldo captained Madrid for the first time in an official match, scoring twice to lift 10-man Madrid to a 4–3 win over Sociedad on 6 January.
In the 2016-17 season, Ronaldo helped Madrid to win their first La Liga title since 2012.
In January 2013, Cristiano Ronaldo became Save the Children's new Global Artist Ambassador, aiming to help fight child hunger and obesity.
In March 2013, Cristiano Ronaldo agreed to be the ambassador for The Mangrove Care Forum in Indonesia, to raise awareness of mangrove conservation.
In November 2013, Cristiano Ronaldo, in partnership with JBS Textile Group and Richard Chai, released a range of underwear and socks under his CR7 fashion brand.
In December 2013, Cristiano Ronaldo launched Viva Ronaldo, a dedicated social networking website and app.
During the 2013–14 season, in 2013, Ronaldo was joined at the club by Gareth Bale forming 'BBC'. He scored 69 goals, winning the 2013 FIFA Ballon d'Or and the FIFA World Player of the Year award.
From 2013 onwards, under manager Carlo Ancelotti, Cristiano Ronaldo adapted his style of play to the physical effects of ageing, focusing on short-distance creating and goalscoring at Real Madrid.
In 2013, Cristiano Ronaldo achieved the highest recorded jump in football history, measuring 2.93 metres (9 ft 7 in), during a match against Manchester United.
On August 7, 2013, Cristiano Ronaldo first performed the "Siuuu" celebration during the International Champions Cup Final between Real Madrid and Chelsea after scoring a goal. Madrid won the match 3–1 to claim the International Champions Cup.
In July 2014, Cristiano Ronaldo expanded his CR7 fashion brand by launching a line of premium shirts and shoes.
In 2014, Cristiano Ronaldo scored eight goals during qualification for the FIFA World Cup and scored all four goals against Sweden in the play-off. At the tournament in Brazil, he assisted a late equaliser against the United States and scored the winner against Ghana.
In 2014, Ronaldo was integral to Madrid's Champions League win.
In 2014, after winning the 2014 FIFA Club World Cup, Ronaldo received the 2014 Ballon d'Or, becoming a three-time recipient. He also set a new personal best of 61 goals during the 2014-15 season.
In September 2015, Cristiano Ronaldo released his own fragrance, "Legacy", in partnership with Eden Parfums.
On 12 September 2015, Cristiano Ronaldo became Real Madrid's all-time top scorer with 230 goals, surpassing Raúl.
In 2015, Cristiano Ronaldo was named the world's most charitable sportsperson after donating £5 million to the relief effort after the earthquake in Nepal which killed over 8,000 people.
In June 2016, Cristiano Ronaldo donated the entirety of his €600,000 Champions League bonus after Real Madrid won the competition.
In 2016, Cristiano Ronaldo reached the same goalscoring record as in 2023, scoring 54 goals.
In April 2016, Ronaldo became the first player to reach 100 goals in UEFA club competition after scoring both goals in a 2–1 away win against Bayern.
Since 2017, Cristiano Ronaldo adapted his style of play again to become more of a free-roaming centre forward under manager Zinedine Zidane, excelling and maintaining a prolific goalscoring record.
On 3 April 2018, Ronaldo scored a bicycle kick goal, described as a "PlayStation goal" against Juventus, earning him a standing ovation.
During the 2018 World Cup, Cristiano Ronaldo became the oldest player to score a hat-trick in a World Cup match, in a 3–3 draw against Spain. He also broke Puskás' record as the highest European goalscorer of all time, with 85 international goals, and was named in the World Cup Dream Team.
In 2018, Jonathan Wilson of The Guardian opined that Cristiano Ronaldo had made Juventus weaker, due to "his relative immobility" in his mid-30s, even if his personal goal-scoring output remained high.
In 2018, Ronaldo had his most prolific World Cup campaign and was voted in the Fan Dream Team.
On 16 January 2019, Ronaldo won his first trophy with Juventus, the 2018 Supercoppa Italiana, scoring the only goal against AC Milan.
In August 2019, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi were interviewed together before the UEFA Men's Player of the Year announcement, with Ronaldo stating that they pushed each other and it was good to be part of football history.
On 6 January 2020, Ronaldo scored his first Serie A hat-trick in a 4–0 home win against Cagliari.
In 2020, Cristiano Ronaldo received the Golden Boot as top scorer of Euro 2020 and became the first player to score at five European Championships.
On 2 March 2021, Ronaldo scored in a 3–0 win over Spezia in his 600th league match, becoming the first player to score at least 20 goals in 12 consecutive seasons in Europe's top five leagues.
On 27 August 2021, Manchester United announced they had reached an agreement with Juventus to re-sign Ronaldo. The first 24 hours of Ronaldo's shirt sales was reported to have broken the all-time record following a transfer.
In 2021, Ronaldo returned to Manchester United and was included in the PFA Team of the Year at 37 years old.
On 15 February 2022, Ronaldo scored in United's 2–0 win at home versus Brighton & Hove Albion, his first in the new year.
In December 2022, Cristiano Ronaldo reached an agreement with Saudi club Al-Nassr, signing a contract until 2025 for a record-breaking salary of €200 million per year.
In the 2022 World Cup, Ronaldo became the first player to score at five World Cups.
In the 2022 World Cup, on November 24, 2022, Cristiano Ronaldo became the first player to score at five World Cups, netting a penalty against Ghana. He was later dropped from the starting lineup due to a dispute with the manager.
In January 2023, Cristiano Ronaldo debuted for Al Nassr as club captain and played a full 90 minutes in a 1-0 victory over Al-Ettifaq. He also scored his first goal for the club in a 2-2 draw against Al-Fateh.
In January 2023, after Cristiano Ronaldo moved to Saudi Arabia, he and his partner were made an exception to the rule prohibiting unmarried couples from living together in Saudi Arabia.
On March 23, 2023, Cristiano Ronaldo scored a brace against Liechtenstein, earning his 197th cap and becoming the most capped male footballer of all time.
Since 26 October 2023, Cristiano Ronaldo, through Portuguese company Expressão Livre, is part of a group of investors that are the new owners of Medialivre, the publisher of Correio da Manhã, Record and Jornal de Negócios.
In 2023, Cristiano Ronaldo scored a total of 54 goals in all competitions for both Al-Nassr and Portugal, making him the outright top scorer of the year, equaling his previous record from 2016.
In 2023, Ronaldo signed for Al Nassr, a move credited for revolutionizing football in Saudi Arabia.
On May 27, 2024, in Al Nassr's home fixture against Al-Ittihad, Ronaldo scored his 34th and 35th league goals of the campaign, surpassing Abderrazak Hamdallah's record for the most goals scored in a single Saudi Pro League season. He also equaled Rogério Ceni's record for the most top-level matches played by a male professional footballer, reaching 1,225 matches on May 31, 2024.
In 2024, with his start in Portugal's UEFA Euro 2024 opener against the Czech Republic, Cristiano Ronaldo became the first player to feature in six European Championships. Later, on September 5, 2024, he scored his 900th career goal.
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