Portugal Travel

Madeira, the beautiful island in Portugal does not only boast of its stunning sceneries and wonderful wines, it also brings to the world a football great in the person of Cristiano Ronaldo. Born as Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro, in the small Portuguese island of Madeira in February 5, 1985, he has captured the adoration of millions of worldwide football fans with his amazing skills on the field.

Ronaldo is an awesome footballer and plays as a winger and a striker. Currently, he plays for the club Real Madrid in the Spanish La Liga and also serves as the team captain for the National soccer team of Portugal.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s move from Manchester United to Real Madrid in 2009 made him the highest paid football player ever in the history of the sport. The transfer fee alone costs 94 million Pounds (132 million dollars), plus he has a guaranteed annual pay of 11 million pounds for the next 6 years.

Ronaldo started to play the sport at a very young age. He joined Andorinha, an amateur team, when he was just 8 years old. At age 12, he was recognized as the best player in his island. Three years later, at the tender age of 15, he joined the local club Nacional and won a title.

His football career has earned him many milestones followed by a string of accolades and recognitions like being recognize as the first player to bag all four main awards handed by both PFA and FWA. FIFA also awarded Ronaldo with the first ever FIFA Puskás Award, and the awards and distinctions just keep on coming for this skillful football player.

In 2002, Ronaldo became the first ever Portuguese to ever play for Manchester United. The club paid him 15 million Euros for a 3 year contract. He wore the number 7 jersey, the number worn by legendary Manchester players such as George Best and David Beckham.

Ronaldo hold the distinction of scoring the 1000^th goal of Manchester United in 2005. The next year, Ronaldo broke the 20 goals barrier as Manchester United won the title.

Cristiano Ronaldo began the 2008 season as the new team captain of Manchester United. That season, the club won the title against rival Chelsea. Due to his leadership and outstanding scoring skills, Ronaldo was awarded the European Golden Shoe Award.

In 2009, Cristiano Ronaldo was voted as the FIFA World Player of the Year, just like his childhood idol and fellow countryman Luis Figo did in 2001.

Real Madrid confirmed that the famous footballer would join the club on June, 2009. The contract was for 6 years, with a buy out clause of 1 billion Euros. He debuted for Real Madrid the following month sporting the jersey number 9. He later changed his number back to number 7 during the 2010 season.

Cristiano Ronaldo never fails to raise the level of excitement among fans and players of the sport, he will continue to be a force to reckon with on any football field.