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Cristiano ronaldo BIOGRAPHY

Cristiano Ronaldo arrived in Manchester amid a media storm. Manchester United had managed to sign the player without the Press suspecting anything. As the Stock Market was told that the player had been signed, hundreds of journalists flooded up to Manchester to get a proper look at one of Manchester United's youngest signings.

Ronaldo was born on the 5th February 1985, on the small island of Madeira, which is owned by the Portuguese. Named after Ronald Reagan, due to his father's respect for the man, few would have gambled that this child would make it to the very top of the Football tree, especially with Madeira mainly being used for farm-land. He has one brother and two sisters, and it is family whom he deems most important in his life at the moment.

It was on the dusty back-streets of this small island that Ronaldo learnt his first few tricks, and it was also on this Island that he was first scouted. By the age of twelve Ronaldo had established himself as the best player on the Island, able to use his ball skills and pace to get past full-grown defenders for Andorinha.

Having been recognised as a serious talent, all that was left was for the big Portuguese clubs to scrap it out for his signature. Though Porto and Boavista came in for him, he could only ever play for Sporting the club he supported as a boy.

He progressed slowly through the youth ranks, although all those who worked with him were impressed with the talent that he had for his age, as well as his maturity.

At the tender age of 17, Ronaldo was thrown in at the deep end with his first game against Moreirense. Two goals on his first appearance not only gave him his dream debut, but also endeared him to the fans, who soon learnt to chant for the ball to be passed to him. A goal against title-rivals Boavista also saw him rise to the top of the "Fan's Favourites" list.

His skills were watched closely by all of the big clubs in Europe, including Liverpool and Juventus, in the U-17 European Championships. His dazzling skills put England U-17s out, and everyone who watched felt they had seen something special.

At the end of his first season at Sporting he was linked to Liverpool. Though he claimed he was extremely happy at Sporting, he was also flattered by the interest of such a big club, who used to do well in the Premier League.

Sporting finished top in the league, and Ronaldo was hailed as the future of the club, alongside Quaresma, another Portuguese Starlet.

As it was, both moved away, with the money on the table to much for the Portuguese club to turn down. Best-friend Quaresma ended up at Barcelona, whilst Ronaldo came to the bright red of Manchester.

03/04

The deal saw Ronald become the most expensive teenage signing in Britain, with Manchester United paying £12.24million over two seasons, in two equal payments.

Those who had not seen him play baulked at the price such a lot of money for someone unproven!

Those who had seen the Man Utd vs. Sporting friendly just three days before, however, knew that this player was special. Playing for Sporting, Ronaldo had taken the game to the reds, and was the main reason that Manchester United lost 3-1. After the game, all the United players could talk about was how well Ronaldo had played, and they begged Sir Alex to buy him. Sir Alex had been following him for months, but decided that the time was right not least because other clubs were getting increasingly closer to buying him.

An so, on 12th August 2003, Cristiano Ronaldo held up the famous Red shirt, with his favourite number 7 (it is hero Figo's number) for all the press to see.

A new star had been born.

His first performance for the club was against Bolton. He entered the fray with an hour gone, with United 1 0 up. A standing ovation from the fans at old Trafford did nothing to settle his nerves, but he rewarded the fans for their trust. A man-of-the-match performance followed, and Ronaldo became legend. He had a hand in two of the goals, won an unconverted penalty, and mesmerised the Bolton defence.

The next day the media proclaimed him one of the best players ever for United, comparing him with Red-Legend George Best. Much had been seen, but much is still to come. Ronaldo got better and better as the season went on, eventually leading the Reds to the FA Cup - though somewhat suprisingly, he was not awarded "Man of the Match in that game". It was a disappointing season for United, but no-one was questioning whether Ronaldo was worth the £12million Sir Alex had splashed out on him just eight months previously - everyone could see that Ronaldo was going to be an incredible player.

Ronaldo matured so much during his first year at United that he became a regular in the Portuguese national first team squad. He played a major role in their progress to the final of Euro 2004, where they opposed Greece. In a match that was played on Portuguese soil, Portugal deserved to win the game, but were beaten by a goal scored on the counter-attack by a defensive Greece team.

04/05

Ronaldo returned late to Manchester United following international action for the Portuguese Olympic side (Portugal were knocked out in the Quarters), and the Reds were already a good few points behind the leaders Chelsea. Ronaldo put in a number of classy performances, although his strike-rate never really picked up until after he had agreed on a £50 bet with Sir Alex that he would score 10 that season!

As it turned out, Ronaldo was on 9 goals going into the last game of the seaon - the FA Cup Final. United had failed to score in two games against AC Milan in Europe in March, and they had fallen badly behind Chelsea in the league table because of scrappy defeats. Would Ronny be able to get his goal? No! Despite conquerring Arsenal for the full 120 minutes (the game went into Extra-Time), the match went score-lessly into penalties, and United lost!

With his Summer off Ronaldo visited the tsunami-hit communities of Banda Aceh before heading off on United's Far-East Tour, and signing a new contract that will keep him at the club for many years to come.

05/06

Ronaldo's third season at the club started on a sad note, with his fathers death deeply affecting his performances and attitude both on and off the pitch. To lose his father so young was hard for Cristiano, but he came through.

His season was further disrupted by a rape allegation by a media-hungry untrustworthy woman (which ended up being dropped). It may have been dropped, but it caused a major furore, and Ronaldo said at the end of the season that he did not enjoy being 'front page news'.

Chelsea cruised into an 18 point lead as United stuttered, along with Ronaldo, to find form. It finally came in ajnuary 2006, after the team had been knocked out of the Champions League in the group stage - the last match against Porto saw Ronaldo flick his middle fingers up at the rival Portuguese fans and earned him a two-match ban!

United managed to cut Chelsea's lead to just four points but couldn't put the pressure on Chelsea on Good Friday, when they could only draw with Sunderland, giving any kind of title hopes up.

Ronaldo began to hit top form, and was starting to score goals again, just in time for the World Cup in Germany.

WC06

Books could be written on Cristiano's World Cup (and undoubtedly will). He was the best player on the pitch at times, and won many fans internationally with his attacking play - at a tournament that was characterised by dull and negativefootball and tactics. You could always depend on Ronaldo to run at people and create chances, playing in the true spirit of the game.

BAck in England, however, he won few friends as the media tried to portray him as the culprit for England's downfall when Portugal beat them in the Quarter Finals. Rooney had a wild stamp / lunge at Ricardo Carvalho's "tomatoes", and Ronaldo ran over to make sure the ref had seen it. This is tantamount to grabbing the red card out of the refs back pocket and sending Rooney off himself according to The Sun, and they fully vilified Ronaldo, even demanding he be deported!

Ronaldo was through to the semis, after scoring the winning penalty against England (talk about having the last laugh), but couldn't conjure up enough to beat a dull French side who won with an exceedingly dodgy penalty early in the game and shut up shop.

Ronaldo was then linked with Real Madrid, even saying himself that he wasn't sure England would be safe for him amidst all the chaos.

06/07

Thankfully, Fergie refused to consider Manchester United without him, and he returned, made friends with Rooney.

A phenomenal season ensued. Ronaldo was booed at his first outing away in a friendly at Oxford, which only made him play harder - scoring two goals and setting another up!

He continued this form forwards, and was responsible for United's better play - his darting and daring runs and tricks lighting up the pitch alongside Saha and Rooney in attack.

Over the course of the season he scored over 20 goals, winning him his bet with Fergie, the Premier League, and 14 personal accolades! That included a first-ever hatrick of PFA Player of the Month awards, and everything from the FA Player of the Year to the Writers Player and beyond.

An accomplished season saw him sign a new contract on mega-money, and establish himself as one of the true stars of the World game. He will continue to rise this season.

STATS

Name: Cristiano Ronaldo Date of Birth: 5th February 1985 Birth place: Madeira, Portugal Nationality: Portuguese Height: 184cm Weight: 75kg

Career

Early career

He began kicking a football when he was three, and when he started primary school at age six, his passion for the sport was obvious. His favourite boyhood team was SL Benfica even though he would later join their rival, Sporting. He first played for an amateur team, Andorinha, where his father was the kit man, when he was just eight years old. By 1995, at just ten years of age, Cristiano Ronaldo's reputation was growing in Portugal. Madeira's top two teams, CS Marítimo and CD Nacional were both interested in signing him. Marítimo, the bigger team, missed a crucial meeting with Rui Santos, Ronaldo's manager at Andorinha, and as a result, Ronaldo signed for Nacional. After a title-winning campaign at Nacional, Ronaldo went on a three day trial with Sporting who subsequently signed him for an undisclosed sum.

Sporting Clube de Portugal

Ronaldo joined Sporting's other youth players who trained at the Alcochete, the club's "football factory," where he received first-class instruction. In his first few months in Lisbon, he had to defend himself from the rest of the local players as they had taunted him over his Madeiran accent. A growth spurt had also obstructed his progress at the club. However, Ronaldo eventually went on to become the only player in Sporting’s history to play for the Under-16, Under-17, Under-18, B team and first-team within a season. Sporting realised that Ronaldo needed more support and arranged for his mother to join him. He scored two goals on his Sporting debut against Moreirense. He also featured for Portugal in the UEFA Under 17 Championships.

His performances at the UEFA Under 17 championship drew him to the attention of the wider football world. He was first spotted by former Liverpool F.C. manager Gérard Houllier at the age of 16. However, Liverpool later declined him because he was too young and needed some time to develop into a top footballer. However, he came to the attention of Sir Alex Ferguson in the summer of 2003, when Sporting beat Manchester United 3-1 in the inauguration of the Alvalade XXI stadium in Lisbon. Ronaldo demonstrated his ability to play on both wings. His performance in the match impressed the Manchester United players, who spoke to their manager about a possible transfer bid for Ronaldo.

Manchester United

Ferguson decided that he wanted Ronaldo for his team, who were in the market for a right-sided midfielder with the departure of David Beckham to Real Madrid; Ronaldo was signed for a fee of £12.24 million, becoming the club's first ever Portuguese player. Ronaldo was handed the number 7 shirt on his arrival, a shirt number that has belonged to some of the greatest Manchester United legends, such as George Best, Bryan Robson, Eric Cantona and David Beckham. Ronaldo initially asked for the number 28 which he wore at Sporting, as he did not want the pressure of living up to the expectation linked to the number 7 shirt. "After I joined, the manager asked me what number I'd like. I said 28. But Ferguson said 'no, you're going to have No. 7' and the famous shirt was an extra source of motivation. I was forced to live up to such an honour".

Ronaldo playing for Manchester United

Ronaldo made his debut for Manchester United as a 60th minute substitute against Bolton Wanderers at Old Trafford, a 4-0 Manchester United win. On 29 October, 2005, Ronaldo scored Manchester United's 1000th Premier League goal, in a 4-1 loss at the hands of Middlesbrough. He bagged a double double in February, with two goals at home to Fulham and another pair at Fratton Park, and also scored in the following Premier League game against Wigan taking his tally to 8 Premier League goals. On 26 February, 2006, Ronaldo played in the Carling Cup Final against Wigan in the Millennium Stadium at Cardiff, and scored a goal - taking his season's tally to 10 goals. He was named FIFPro Special Young Player of the Year 2005, the only award to be voted for by fans. He received the same accolade the following year in 2006. He was also ranked 20th in the FIFA Player of the Year 2005 standings.

In 2006, a row between him and Ruud van Nistelrooy at the Carrington training ground intensified speculation about their roles at the club. However, Ronaldo signed a new deal with United that would last until 2010. Ronaldo said of the deal, "United have stood by me and been there for me and I want to repay that".

Despite the World Cup incident, Ronaldo remained popular with the Manchester United faithful when he played (and scored) in his first Premier League match since the 2006 World Cup. Manchester United fans could clearly be heard chanting "there's only one Ronaldo" at various points in the game, in a 5-1 win over Fulham. He won the Barclays Player of the Month for November 2006. By December 2006, Ronaldo had become one of United's most influential players, scoring six goals in three league games to bring his overall tally up to 12 goals. He came on at half-time as a substitute against Wigan Athletic and immediately stamped his influence on the match with 2 goals in the space of a few minutes. Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson concedes he would lose his wager with the Portuguese in his current form after setting a target of 15 goals for the season. The Scot remarked that he was "pleased for him because he works hard at his game. He's still learning the game. His ability to pass the ball has helped him this season. His passing has been very good. That just shows he is maturing. He's been fantastic, and he's getting better all the time". In December, he was awarded the Barclays Player of the Month Award for the second successive month, becoming the third ever player in the Premier League to do so (after Arsenal's Dennis Bergkamp in 1997 and Robbie Fowler in 1996). Ronaldo scored his 50^th goal for Manchester United in the game against arch-rivals Manchester City which turned out to be the decisive goal which helped Manchester United claim the Premier League title for the first time in 4 years.

As the end of each season approached, particularly in 2006 and 2007, it became traditional for rumours to start floating that Ronaldo was unsettled at Manchester United and wanted to play for Real Madrid - the rumours frequently originating from the board of Real Madrid who were reported in April 2007 to be willing to pay an unprecedented €80 million (£54 million) for Ronaldo. At the beginning of March 2007, however, Ronaldo, as well as Manchester United, confirmed that they would be negotiating an extension to his current contract. On 13 April 2007, Ronaldo signed a five-year, £120,000-a-week deal with United, making him the highest-paid player in United's history. He said, "I am very happy at the club and I want to win trophies and hopefully we will do that this season".

During the 2006-07 season, Ronaldo won the PFA Players' Player of the Year and PFA Young Player of the Year awards. He received the two awards during a ceremony on the 22nd of April, 2007. In addition to winning the two awards (an accomplishment that has only been matched once - in 1977 by Andy Gray), Ronaldo was also named a member of the PFA Premier League Team of the Year, alongside seven of his fellow Manchester United teammates. On 24 April 2007, Ronaldo completed the treble by winning the PFA Fans' Player of the Year, an award which is given by winning the most votes from fans all over the United Kingdom. In addition, he was awarded the 2007 Portuguese Footballer of the Year, and at the beginning of May 2007 Ronaldo was also awarded the Football Writers' Association Award. He also received two awards from the club itself, the Player of the Year award, and the Fans' Player of the Year award.

The 2006-07 was tainted with several diving incidents. During a match with Middlesbrough , he was criticised for diving by rival manager Gareth Southgate. On 4 February 2007, in a match against Tottenham Hotspur, Ronaldo was caught in yet another diving controversy, after winning United a controversial penalty despite seeming to receive little or no contact from Tottenham's Steed Malbranque.

Ronaldo has occasionally had problems with his temper during games. He was sent off in a game against Manchester City and received a one-match ban imposed by UEFA for a "one-fingered gesture" towards Benfica fans in a UEFA Champions League match in December 2005. While playing for Portugal in a friendly against Luxembourg he was given a yellow card for pushing Jeff Strasser in the throat in retaliation after Strasser tackled him. Felipe Scolari warned Ronaldo to keep his temper in check during the World Cup. Cristiano Ronaldo was sent off for an alleged headbutt of Portsmouth player Richard Hughes during United's second match of the 2007-08 season, and was therefore banned for the subsequent three games. After the match, Sir Alex Ferguson claimed that Ronaldo had "fallen into the trap". Ronaldo said he had "learned a lot" from the experience and would not let players "provoke" him in future.

Ronaldo's 2007-08 season started badly with the sending off at Portsmouth. However, in his first game following the ban Ronaldo scored the only goal in the 60th minute of a Champions League away game against Sporting Lisbon on return to his old club. He was given a standing ovation by the Sporting supporters for his muted celebrations following the goal. Following this match, Ronaldo has kept his goalscoring boots on in the away fixture against Birmingham City The goalscoring continued with a brace against Wigan Athletic Ronaldo contributed three goals in both the home and away fixtures against Dynamo Kiev, a goal against Arsenal and another brace against Blackburn Rovers. An injury time winner, coming from a free-kick in the home fixture against Sporting Lisbon led Manchester United to the top of the group in the UEFA Champions League. On December 2, 2007, Ronaldo was officially announced as the runner up in the European Footballer of the Year standings, finishing behind the winner, Kaka, with 277 points. Ronaldo scored a match-winning double against Fulham , one of which included a memorable volley. He had also been booked for diving by referee Rob Styles when he went down under a challenge from Fulham's goalkeeper, Antti Niemi. Sir Alex Ferguson had claimed that it "His reputation from years ago is still playing on the minds of referees. It was a ridiculous decision." In addition to his two late penalties in the home fixtures against Derby County and Everton , he scored a free-kick just before half-time against Sunderland. On December 17 2007, it was officially announced that Ronaldo came in third in the FIFA World Player of the Year awards, finishing behind Kaká and Lionel Messi.. In a 2-1 defeat in the away fixture against West Ham United, Ronaldo scored in the match but missed a penalty.

Ronaldo scored his first hat trick for Manchester United, in the 6-0 win against Newcastle United at Old Trafford on 12 January, 2008, bringing Manchester United up to the top of English Premier League table. He scored with a free kick in the 49th minute and went on to score twice more in the 70th and 88th minutes of the match. The very next game, he scored the second goal in the 2-0 win against Reading on 19 January2008, bringing his goal tally to 23, equalling his tally for the whole of the 2006/2007 season. UEFA have been urged to investigate an incident before and during the 1-1 draw against Olympique Lyonnais in the UEFA Champions League on February 20 2008 where Ronaldo and United team mate Nani were targeted by opposition fans shining potentially hazardous lasers at the players during the warm up and the match itself.

On March 19 2008, Ronaldo eclipsed George Best's 40-year-old United record of the most goals scored by a midfielder in one season. Best had scored 32 times in the 1967-68 season. In a Premier League match against Bolton Wanderers at Old Trafford, Ronaldo was captain for Manchester United for the first time in his career in England; while donning the captain's arm band, Ronaldo scored both goals in a 2-0 win for United. On April 9 2008, it was reported that Real Madrid have decided to offer Manchester United a world-record £100million for Cristiano Ronaldo, a fee which was later turned down by the club. On May 11 2008, Ronaldo scored from the penalty spot against Wigan Athletic in the 33rd minute, taking Ronaldo's season tally to 41 goals, 31 of those in the Premier League. Ronaldo then scored Manchester United's only goal in normal time in the 2008 UEFA Champions League Final, to bring his season tally to 42 goals, falling short of Ruud van Nistelrooij's tally of 44 goals in a season which he did back in 2002/2003, by just 2 goals.

Ronaldo won the 2007-2008 European Golden Shoe, the award for the European top goal scorer, with an 8-point lead ahead of second-placed Dani Güiza. He is the first winger to receive this award.