Cristiano Ronaldo is a Portuguese footballer who currently plays for Italian club Juventus.
Along with Lionel Messi, he is widely regarded as one of the world’s top footballing talents currently playing the game.
Cristiano Ronaldo has won huge amounts of silverware at club level and also lifted his first major trophy with Portugal as he captained his country to glory at Euro 2016 in France.
The attacker became the most expensive footballer in the world when he left Manchester United to sign for Real Madrid in the summer of 2009 for a fee of around £80m.
Ronaldo is known for his hard work and dedication to improving his game.
His physique is certainly impressive and Ronaldo has clearly worked hard in the gym to make sure that his body is in the perfect condition to perform at the top level.
But how much do you really know about Cristiano Ronaldo and his journey to success as one of the greatest footballers of all time?
This is his story.
Athlete Statistics
• Profession: Footballer
• Date of birth: 5 February 1985
• Age: 38 years old
• Height: 1.85m (6ft 1in)
• Weight: 80kg (176lbs)
• Nationality: Portuguese
• Position: Forward
• Instagram: @cristiano
Biography
Cristiano Ronaldo (full name: Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro) was born in Funchal on the Portuguese island of Madeira on 5 February 1985.
Ronaldo is the youngest of three children and has one older brother called Hugo, and two older sisters called Elma and Liliana Cátia.
Cristiano Ronaldo on the front cover of GQ magazine in 2016 with Alessandra Ambrosio (Photo: GQ)
His second given name, ‘Ronaldo’, was chosen after then-US president Ronald Reagan.
Ronaldo’s upbringing was a far cry from the glitz and glamour lifestyle he now enjoys and his rags to riches story is an inspiration to many.
Early days
As a talented youngster, Ronaldo played for amateur team Andorinha between 1992 to 1995 as he developed the basic foundations of the skills which make him the player he is today.
His father was the kit man at Andorinha during his time growing up. Ronaldo’s father died from a liver condition at age 52 in September 2005.
Aged just 12 years old, Ronaldo took part in a trial at Sporting Lisbon, who signed him for a fee of around £1,500.
It was then when he left his native Madeira to move to a town near Lisbon to develop his career.
Cristiano Ronaldo works hard in his own gym (Photo: Cristiano Ronaldo / Instagram)
Ronaldo was 14 years old when he became convinced that he would be able to play football at least semi-professionally.
He managed to convince his mother to allow him to stop with his education and instead focus entirely on football.
Aged 16, Ronaldo was moved up to the first team at Sporting as he began to make an impression at the club.
Ronaldo made his first team debut for Sporting in January 2002 when he scored two goals in the 3-0 victory over Moreirense.
Manchester United
Ronaldo caught the attentions of Sir Alex Ferguson back in August 2003, when the youngster impressed in Sporting’s 3-1 win over Manchester United in Lisbon.
The folk tales say that Manchester United’s players were so impressed by Ronaldo’s performance that they urged Ferguson to make a move to sign him after the game.
Ronaldo signed for Manchester United in the summer of 2003 for a fee of around £12m. At the time, he was the most expensive teenager in English football history.
It was a testament to Manchester United’s faith in Ronaldo that he was handed the famous number seven shirt to wear at Old Trafford.
Ronaldo made his Premier League debut for Manchester United in the 4-0 home thrashing of Bolton on 16 August 2003.
He scored his first goal for Manchester United in the 3-0 win over Portsmouth on 1 November 2003.
Ronaldo enjoyed huge amounts of success at Manchester United.
He won the Premier League three times, the Champions League once, as well as claiming winners’ medals in the League Cup and FA Cup too.
Cristiano Ronaldo has a low body-fat percentage (Photo: Cristiano Ronaldo / Instagram)
Onwards to Real Madrid
Ronaldo signed for Real Madrid from Manchester United in the summer of 2009 for a then-world record transfer fee of £80m.
He has gone on to establish himself as one of the best footballers of his generation.
He is Real Madrid’s all-time top goal-scorer.
During his time with Real Madrid he won all of the titles on offer, including four Champions League triumphs and two La Liga title victories.
He has also flourished in terms of individual accolades.
Along with Lionel Messi, Ronaldo has dominated the Ballon d’Or winners’ list in recent years. He has won the prestigious individual award five times in all of its various formats.
Move to Juventus
In the summer of 2018, Ronaldo decided to call time on his glittering career at Real Madrid and seek a new challenge at Juventus in Italy.
He signed on a four-year contract and in a deal believed to be worth around €100m.
International career with Portugal
Ronaldo earned his first senior cap for Portugal in the 1-0 win over Kazakhstan on 20 August 2003 after having appeared for his country at youth level.
He was made Portugal captain permanently in 2008 after having skippered the side on various occasions.
His greatest achievement with Portugal came at the 2016 European championships in France, when he captained his side to glory.
Ronaldo was forced off in the 25th minute of the final against France but still lifted the trophy with his team-mates.
Diet
Cristiano Ronaldo’s diet and training regime has earned thousands of internet search queries after the Portuguese attacker really started developing his physique while at Manchester United.
Ronaldo is never one to miss an opportunity show off his ripped torso, but his physique has clearly been achieved thanks to a strict diet and training programme.
Cristiano Ronaldo has a low body fat percentage (Photo: Cristiano Ronaldo / Instagram)
The Portugal captain has been quoted as saying that he eats a high protein diet with lots of wholegrain carbohydrates, fruit and vegetables.
At restaurants, Ronaldo says that he would usually order a steak with salad.
His favourite dish overall is the Portuguese fish speciality bacalhau à braz.
“A good workout must be combined with a good diet. I eat a high protein diet, with lots of wholegrain carbs, fruit and vegetables and avoid sugary foods.”
Ronaldo also eats regularly. He says that he often eats up to six smaller meals a day to keep his energy levels up for training and matches.
In an interview with the Daily Mail, Ronaldo also spoke about the importance of staying hydrated. He says to drink lots of water and revealed that he avoids alcohol.
Ronaldo also talked up the importance of keeping a “relaxed” mindset to help him be able to perform at his best on the pitch.
“High intensity is important to get your blood pumping and to increase stamina. We do a lot of sprinting drills in training and they can be incorporated into your workout whether you are in the gym or outdoors. Try and add it to every workout you do.”
Physique
Ronaldo has never been worried about showing off his toned physique during games.
He has regularly been pictured flexing his muscles after scoring goals for Real Madrid.
It is clear that Ronaldo has a very low body fat percentage judging by the definition of the muscles in his upper body.
Our best guess is that Ronaldo’s body fat percentage is around seven or eight per cent.
Ronaldo’s thighs are 62cm in circumference.
Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates winning the Champions League with Real Madrid with his son (Photo: Cristiano Ronaldo / Instagram)
Net worth
Ronaldo is one of the highest-paid athletes on the planet, thanks to a combination of his high salary and various sponsorship deals.
Forbes has ranked Ronaldo twice on their list of the world’s highest-paid football players.
His combined earnings were reported as $73m in 2013–14 and $79m in 2014–15.
Cristiano Ronaldo stands in front of a Lamborghini at his home in Madrid (Photo: Cristiano Ronaldo / Instagram)
Ronaldo then topped the list for the highest-earning athletes in the world with an income of $93m in 2016-17.
Despite his huge pay packet, Ronaldo donates a lot of money to charity.
Life away from the pitch
Ronaldo became a father for the first time when his son was born in 2010. He has never revealed the identity of the child’s mother.
In June 2017, Ronaldo then confirmed that he had become the father to two twins.
Ronaldo is currently dating girlfriend Georgina Rodriguez, a former Gucci employee.
Cristiano Ronaldo and his girlfriend Georgina Rodriguez (Photo: Cristiano Ronaldo / Instagram)
Idols and influences
Cristiano Ronaldo’s success has seen him become the idol for many young footballers growing up.
But did the Portugal star have any idols of his own when he was making his way as a young player?
No, according to the player himself.
Ronaldo says that he always dreamed of playing for Portugal but insists that he never had any individual idols as a youngster.
What we can learn from Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo’s journey to the top of world football is clearly a very inspirational one and it is no surprise that he is an idol to many young children who dream of a career in the sport.
His story proves the old adage that hard work and dedication will always pay off when it comes to achieving your dreams.
Ronaldo is known for his tireless work ethic and his team-mates will tell you that he is always pushing himself to go that extra step in training.
He has managed to overcome a difficult childhood to develop into one of the world’s greatest ever footballers and serve as an inspiration to many young aspiring footballers.
Cristiano Ronaldo captained Portugal to glory at Euro 2016 (Photo: Cristiano Ronaldo / Instagram)
There is no doubt that Ronaldo will be remembered as one of the greatest players ever to have kicked a football.
But his strong work ethic and dedication are clearly the building blocks of the wide-ranging success he has achieved.
