A detailed timeline of the impact and legacy of Cristiano Ronaldo across different fields.
Cristiano Ronaldo, often nicknamed CR7, is a Portuguese professional footballer renowned as one of the greatest players of all time. Currently playing for Al Nassr and captaining the Portugal national team, he's celebrated for his exceptional goal-scoring ability and overall skill. His accomplishments include five Ballon d'Or awards, multiple UEFA Men's Player of the Year Awards, and numerous league titles, including five UEFA Champions League titles. Ronaldo holds records for most goals and assists in the Champions League and European Championship, as well as most international appearances and goals. He is the all-time leading goalscorer in football, having scored over 900 career goals.
1968: Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year
Cristiano Ronaldo became United's first Ballon d'Or winner since Best in 1968, and the first Premier League player to be named the FIFA World Player of the Year.
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2007: C.D. Nacional Renames Youth Campus
In 2007, C.D. Nacional renamed its youth campus Cristiano Ronaldo Campus Futebol (Cristiano Ronaldo Football Campus).
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June 2010: Ronaldo Represented as Waxwork at Madame Tussauds London
In June 2010, Ronaldo became the fourth footballer to be represented as a waxwork at Madame Tussauds London.
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2010: Ronaldo's Earnings from 2010 to 2019
From 2010 to 2019, Ronaldo earned €720 million (£615 million), ranking second in Forbes list of the decade's highest-paid athletes.
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December 2013: Ronaldo Opens Museu CR7 in Funchal
In December 2013, Ronaldo opened a museum, Museu CR7, in his hometown of Funchal, Madeira, to house trophies and memorabilia.
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December 2013: Waxwork Presented at the Madrid Wax Museum
In December 2013, another waxwork of Ronaldo was presented at the Madrid Wax Museum.
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2013: Adaptation as Goalscoring Winger
From 2013 onwards, under manager Carlo Ancelotti, Ronaldo effectively adapted his style to the physical effects of ageing with increasingly reduced off-the-ball movement and general involvement, completing fewer dribbles and passes per game, and instead focusing on short-distance creating and goalscoring.
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2013: First "Siu" Celebration
In August 2013, Ronaldo gave Madrid a 2–1 lead with a free kick when he headed in a cross from Isco, helping Madrid beat Chelsea 3–1 to claim the International Champions Cup and celebrating with his first "Siuuu".
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2013: "Siu" Celebration
Since Ronaldo first performed the gesture in 2013, it has been widely imitated by athletes and personalities both in and outside of football when celebrating scoring in respective sports or a significant achievement, and is widely regarded as the most iconic association football celebration of all time.
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May 2014: Ronaldo Named Most Marketable Football Player
In May 2014, Repucom named Ronaldo the most marketable and most recognised football player in the world.
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December 2014: Bronze Statue of Ronaldo Unveiled in Funchal
On 21 December 2014, a bronze statue of Ronaldo, designed by artist Ricardo Madeira Veloso, was unveiled in Funchal.
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2014: Most Influential People in the World
In 2014, Cristiano Ronaldo was included on Time's list of the 100 most influential people in the world.
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2014: Ronaldo Named in Time 100
In 2014, Ronaldo was named in the Time 100, Time's annual list of the most influential people in the world.
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June 2015: Galaxy Named After Ronaldo
In June 2015, astronomers discovered a galaxy which they named Cosmos Redshift 7 (CR7) in tribute to Ronaldo.
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2015: Best Portuguese Player of All Time
In 2015, Cristiano Ronaldo was named the best Portuguese player of all time by the Portuguese Football Federation.
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2016: Highest-Paid Athlete by Forbes
In 2016, Cristiano Ronaldo was ranked as the world's highest-paid athlete by Forbes.
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2016: Ronaldo Named World's Most Famous Athlete by ESPN
In 2016, ESPN named Ronaldo the world's most famous athlete, a title he held for multiple years.
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2016: Ronaldo Tops Forbes List of Highest-Earning Athletes
In 2016, Ronaldo became the first footballer to top the Forbes list of highest-earning athletes, with a total income of $88 million in 2015–16.
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March 2017: Unveiling of Rebranded Cristiano Ronaldo International Airport
In March 2017, the rebranded Cristiano Ronaldo International Airport was unveiled, including a bust of his head, which was controversial due to its likeness.
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2017: Highest-Paid Athlete by Forbes
In 2017, Cristiano Ronaldo was ranked as the world's highest-paid athlete by Forbes.
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2017: Ronaldo Named World's Most Famous Athlete by ESPN
In 2017, ESPN named Ronaldo the world's most famous athlete, a title he held for multiple years.
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2017: Free-Roaming Centre Forward
Since 2017, Ronaldo adapted his style of play yet again to become more of a free-roaming centre forward under manager Zinedine Zidane, a role in which he continued to excel and maintain a prolific goalscoring record.
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June 2018: New Bust of Ronaldo Unveiled
On 15 June 2018, a new bust of Ronaldo, commissioned by Bleacher Report and created by a Spanish sculptor, was shown to the public, following controversy over the original bust's likeness.
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2018: Ronaldo Named World's Most Famous Athlete by ESPN
In 2018, ESPN named Ronaldo the world's most famous athlete, a title he held for multiple years.
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2018: Influential People in Sports Culture
In a 2018 article for Bleacher Report, Ronaldo was ranked first in the ranking of the 50 most influential people in sports culture.
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2019: Ronaldo's Earnings from 2010 to 2019
From 2010 to 2019, Ronaldo earned €720 million (£615 million), ranking second in Forbes list of the decade's highest-paid athletes.
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2019: World's Most Famous Athlete by ESPN
From 2016, Cristiano Ronaldo was the world's most famous athlete by ESPN, until 2019.
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2019: Ronaldo Named World's Most Famous Athlete by ESPN
In 2019, ESPN named Ronaldo the world's most famous athlete, a title he held for multiple years.
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September 2020: Sporting CP's Football Academy Renamed Academia Cristiano Ronaldo
On 21 September 2020, Sporting CP's football academy was renamed Academia Cristiano Ronaldo.
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2020: Named to Ballon d'Or Dream Team
In 2020, Cristiano Ronaldo was named to the Ballon d'Or Dream Team.
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February 2021: Ronaldo Reaches 500 Million Social Media Followers
By February 2021, Ronaldo counted over 500 million total followers across Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, making him the first person to pass half a billion followers.
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2021: FIFA Award for Outstanding Career Achievement
In 2021, Cristiano Ronaldo received a special award for Outstanding Career Achievement by FIFA.
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2022: Messi Wins 2022 FIFA World Cup
After Messi led Argentina to victory in the 2022 FIFA World Cup, critics and players opined that Messi settled the debate between the two players.
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2023: Most International Caps
In 2023, Cristiano Ronaldo became the player with the most international caps in men's football.
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2023: Highest-Paid Athlete by Forbes
In 2023, Cristiano Ronaldo was ranked as the world's highest-paid athlete by Forbes.
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2023: Lisbon City Council Approves Awarding Ronaldo the Medal of Honor
In 2023, the Lisbon City Council approved awarding Ronaldo the Medal of Honor of the City.
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2023: "Siuuu" Meaning
In an interview in 2023, Ronaldo confirmed that the phrase "Siuuu" simply means yes, but "meaning it very strongly".
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2024: Highest-Paid Athlete by Forbes
In 2024, Cristiano Ronaldo was ranked as the world's highest-paid athlete by Forbes.
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