18 amazing facts about Cristiano Ronaldo
Let’s talk about the amazing facts about Cristiano Ronaldo. Ronaldo the most famous person from Portugal was born in Madeira in 1985.
He boasts a tremendous following on social media. In fact, the popular footballer is the most followed person on Instagram, having in incredible 446 million followers. While a huge majority of football fans know his achievements in the sport.
Cristiano Ronaldo is widely considered as one of the greatest soccer players of all time. Almost every football fanatic is likely to have heard about him. And there is a significant number of people who are always providing reasons why Cristiano Ronaldo is better than Lionel Messi.
Ronaldo began his career at Sporting Lisbon before landing a move to Manchester United in 2003. He became a huge star at Old Trafford over the years. He lifted several domestic trophies as well as the Champions League with the Red Devils.
Real Madrid splashed a record fee in 2009 to secure his services. He also made a huge impact at the Santiago Bernabeu. The Portuguese won 15 trophies with Los Blancos, which include four Champions Leagues and two La Liga titles.
His successes didn’t stop there as he was also very successful when he joined Juventus in 2018. Now he is re-signed for Manchester United and his outstanding debut season at Old Trafford suggests that his levels haven’t dropped despite surpassing the age of 35.
1- Working class family
Cristiano Ronaldo wasn’t born in a rich family. In fact, he grew up in a working class family. The 37-year-old was born in the Sao Pedro parish of Funchal. Ronaldo was the youngest child of his family.
His father was a gardener who suffered issues with alcoholism. The famous footballer’s dad passed away in 2005 from liver failure. His mother was a book. In her book, the forwards’ mother Dolores Aveiro has revealed that she had also thought about terminating her pregnancy with Ronaldo because of poverty.
2- Named after Ronald Reagan
Cristiano Ronaldo was named after Ronald Reagan. The Portuguese football sensation revealed in an interview that his parents liked this name very much and thought it sounded strong. He also said that his father admired Ronald Reagan even before he became the President of the United States.
3- Nicknamed Cry baby
Ronaldo’s nickname was ‘cry baby’ when he was a child. His family and friends had given him this nickname as he would cry when his friends wouldn’t score after he passed. He was also called ‘Little Bee’ because he was very fast. And that is still true today even after he has crossed the age of 35.
4- Tachycardia
Cristiano Ronaldo suffered from Tachycardia when he was small. This is a condition in which a person’s heartbeat goes over 100 times per minute. It can cause a stroke or heart failure.
Therefore, Cristiano Ronaldo, at the age of 15, underwent heart surgery. His mother revealed about this surgery to the Daily Mail in 2009.
5- He got expelled in school
Ronaldo was very famous at his school but the footballer got expelled after he became involved in a fight with his teacher. He reasoned that the teacher had disrespected him and so he threw a chair at him.
Even though the Portuguese superstar was expelled from school, it did a world of good for him in the end. This is because his mother encouraged him to concentrate on football after his expulsion. And he went on to become one of the best footballers on the planet.
6- Studied in the university
Getting education in university is the epitome for the majority of people. However, Ronaldo has surpassed that as he is being studied at a Canadian university.
It is said that the fourth-year sociology students at the University of British Columbia Okanagan study about the famous footballer. They learn about the life and career of Ronaldo.
7- Senior debut
Cristiano Ronaldo started his senior career at Sporting Lisbon. He made his competitive debut there in 2002 when he was only 17. It was in the ‘Portuguese Super League.’
However, his huge talent was noticed by Manchester United coach Sir Alex Ferguson. And soon he moved to England to play in the Premier League. It was at the Red Devils that he became such a huge football star.
8- No Tattoos
One of the amazing facts about Cristiano Ronaldo is that he has no tattoos on his body, not even a tiny one. The star forward regularly donates blood and he is also registered as a bone marrow donor.
9- Rape charges
Cristiano Ronaldo was arrested in 2005 over rape charges. However, the case was eventually dropped by Scotland Yard because there wasn’t enough evidence.
Another controversy hit him when he was accused of allegedly raping another woman in 2009. However, the footballer’s claim was that they had consensual sex.
Ronaldo hasn’t been found either guilty or acquitted of any rape allegations.
10- His body
Ronaldo boasts a great body and physique the is one of the amazing facts about Cristiano Ronaldo. Many football fans around the world admire him for it. However, the Portuguese star has to maintain a rigorous workout routine and also stick to a great discipline. And only then, he is able to have such a body despite being 37-years-old.
11- Power of a cheetah
Ronaldo is a delight to watch for football fans. Countless times we have seen him jumping above others to head home the ball. You might be surprised to know another amazing fact about Cristiano Ronaldo that when he jumps, he generates five times the power of a cheetah in full flight. And that power allows him to reach 44 centimeters in the air from a standing start.
12- Record Goal Scorer
Ronaldo is a goal-machine and is regarded as one of the best soccer players of all time. His free-kicks are amazing, he has a giant leap and he doesn’t make any mistakes inside the box. Therefore, he is always scoring goals for both club and country.
The Portuguese star has scored an incredible 815 goals so far in his career, which is another amazing fact about Cristiano Ronaldo. That has made him the highest goal scorer in the history of men’s soccer and that is one the most important amazing facts about Cristiano Ronaldo that ranks him top in rankings.
Lionel Messi is not very far, with the Argentine scoring 769 goals so far. Josef Bican was the previous record-holder who scored 805 goals.
13- Records
Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the biggest stars in world football. He has tumbled many records so far in his career to astonish the footballing world. However, he has also made an amazing record against West Ham in September, 2021. He reached 32.5 km/h in that match to become the fastest player to do so in any game.
He beat the likes of his teammate Aaron Wan-Bissaka and the Hammers Jarrod Bowen.
14- Billionaire
Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the richest soccer players in the world. He has played for Sporting Lisbon, Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus so far. These are some of the richest football clubs in the world.
He has been on lucrative wages on all these clubs. Therefore he is also the first soccer player to become a billionaire. That’s according to Forbes who claimed he became the first active team-sport athlete to earn more than 1 billion in earnings.
This is the reason he now lives the most luxurious life. He owns eight homes and is also planning to construct a retirement home. Ronaldo also has a property empire of over 54 million pounds and now living the life of the fortunate one percent in the world.
15- CR7 Museum
There is also a CR7 Museum in Funchal, Madeira which was founded in 2013. This museum celebrates the career and life of the legendary footballer who stunned the world with his talent. At the museum, one can find the new and old photos of Cristiano Ronaldo.
One can also find trophies and medals that the Portuguese star won during his career. There is also the Pestana CR7 Funchal which stands above the museum that was built in partnership between the star footballer and Pestana Group.
16- Ronaldo’s philanthropy
We all know Ronaldo to be a great footballer. However, the 37-year-old is also a very philanthropic person. One of his kind act was that he sold his golden boot in 2012 in order to raise money for schools in Gaza. In 2012, he joined FIFA’s 11 For Health Foundation for creating awareness among children about drug addiction, HIV, and malaria, etc.
17- Maria’s role in Real Madrid move
Ronaldo’s mother Maria played a part in Ronaldo’s joining Real Madrid from Manchester United in 2009 because she is a big fan of the Spanish club and she reportedly encouraged her son to sign for them. And that decision proved to be very good as he achieved extraordinary success at Los Blancos. The Portuguese won an incredible four Champions League trophies during his time in Madrid.
18- Fans and haters
Ronaldo is one of the greatest footballers of all time. He has countless fans around the world. But the number of his haters are no less insignificant either.
There are many football fans who don’t like the star forward, saying he is arrogant and standoffish. And sometimes his manner of celebration has also angered supporters of rival clubs. For example, that happened during a Champions League match against Atletico Madrid.
