CR7: 45 Unknown Facts About Soccer Star Cristiano Ronaldo
By Arvyn B
Cristiano Ronaldo is probably one of the most renowned soccer players of all time – and for a pretty good reason. His skills on the pitch are the stuff of legends, and he is well-known for being an artist with the ball. And all of this at 37-years-old! Since he’s so famous, there are plenty of things that almost every soccer fan will know. Like, for example, the fact that he is originally from Portugal and plays for Manchester United. He’s also the captain of the national Portuguese football team. Yet, there are many things that you might not know about this fantastic player. Some of these facts are pretty surprising! Take a look below and check out some of these new extraordinary details.
Weight Training
What goes into making a professional soccer player? It’s a pretty tricky question that certainly has no easy answer. According to Ronaldo’s childhood, using weights was a big part of it! He used to put weights on each foot and dribble with the ball.
Why did he do this? When Ronaldo was younger, he believed that working out like this would help to improve his game techniques. There’s no scientific evidence to support this theory, but Ronaldo’s speed on the field certainly is impressive!
Ronaldo’s Family
With a soccer star as brilliant as Ronaldo, you might assume that this ability runs in his family. Well, judging by the rest of his family, apparently not! Cristiano Ronaldo’s mother is a cook named Maria Dolores dos Santos Aveiro.
On the opposing side of the scope, his father, José Dinis Aveiro, is a municipal gardener. Ronaldo also has an older brother named Hugo, as well as two older sisters called Elma and Liliana Cátia. What a big family that is!
The Cost
Another inquiry that you may wonder about is just how much a soccer player like Ronaldo is worth. After all, plenty of teams want to sign him – so exactly how much would someone pay for a player who is this good?
Well, it turns out that you can actually put a price on this! The English soccer team, Manchester United, paid £12 million to get him on their team. That was back in 2003, so we can guess the current rate is higher.
Best Player Ever?
With a soccer star as prevalent as Ronaldo, it should be no surprise that he has won many awards for his skills. In 2015, the Portuguese Football Federation designated him as the finest Portuguese footballer ever. Would you agree?
He also won four European Golden Shoe Awards, three Premier Leagues, an FA Cup, and two UEFA Champion Leagues, if that wasn’t enough. This is just the tip of the iceberg of Ronaldo’s awards – he’s clearly a very adored soccer player!
World Player
He’s also won a ton of other achievements as well, such as becoming Manchester United’s first Ballon d’Or winner since 1968. The last time a player won this award for Manchester United, it was from George Best, another soccer legend.
On top of this, he also won FIFA’s World Player of the Year award. This marked the first time a Premier League player won an award like this, so it was an outstanding achievement. Honestly, we think he deserves all of these achievements.
Family Issues
Unfortunately, things in Ronaldo’s personal life have not been as great as in his professional career. Ronaldo’s father, Jose Dinis Aveiro, died at the young age of 52 because of his drinking problems. Naturally, this had a significant effect on Ronaldo.
Ronaldo refuses to drink alcohol due to the problems that his dad had. Despite Ronaldo begging for his father to seek treatment for his alcoholism, Ronaldo’s father consistently refused, which ultimately led to him sadly passing away. Rest in peace.
Video Games
With a star as massive as Cristiano Ronaldo, it should come as no surprise that he has a ton of merchandise and celebrity endorsements under his belt. This includes things like Ronaldo’s very own video game called Heads Up with Cristiano.
This game was released exclusively on iPhone and came out in December 2011. The game developers called RockLive were the ones responsible for releasing this game. However, it’s sadly not available to buy anymore. Too bad it was not such a hit!
G-Force
Many of us wonder about the science of a soccer player – and for a good reason. When Ronaldo lifts off into the air, he goes so fast that he reaches a speed of approximately 5G in terms of G-Force.
If you’re wondering how fast it is, that speed is over five times faster than a cheetah travels. He really is superhuman! Traveling this fast helps Ronaldo to get over 44cm in the air, which is higher than most NBA players get.
Height
Of course, all of this jumping power manages to help Ronaldo to get higher than he ever could. However, when you consider his height, it’s pretty impressive that Ronaldo can even get this high. After all, he’s a tall guy!
At his highest, Ronaldo is approximately 6-foot 1 inch tall, roughly 1.85 meters. That’s pretty tall! There are a bunch of men that desire to be as tall as Ronaldo, which is not surprising. He seems to be the dream guy!
Cry Baby
Someone as great as Ronaldo seems like they would always be a strong and brave person. The truth is – apparently not! According to Ronaldo’s mother, he had the nickname “cry baby” when he was younger, which is a complete surprise to us.
He would always lie about not having homework. He would run away from his house until much later in the evening. He also cried whenever he didn’t score a goal playing football with his friends. It’s very different from his strong character now!
Nicknames
What’s in a name? It seems that there are a lot of factors at play! Cristiano Ronaldo’s nickname, which is just “Ronaldo,” came from his father. At the time, Ronald Reagan was the president of the United States of America.
Also, Reagan was Ronaldo’s favorite actor, which eventually led to Ronaldo’s father giving him this nickname. However, we definitely think that Ronaldo has made this name his own – nobody else could have a name that is anything like this.
First Game
We already know by now that Ronaldo has been playing football almost his entire life. But his actual professional career in football began at the very young age of 17. He started playing for the team “Sporting Lisbon” as a teenager.
Shortly afterward, he played for Sporting Lisbon as part of the “Portuguese Super League.” From these humble beginnings, Ronaldo managed to craft himself a place as one of the most famous soccer players of all time. It’s a title that he deserves!
More Wins
We’ve already spoken a little about some of Ronaldo’s awards. Nonetheless, believe it or not, there are still plenty left that we haven’t talked about! For example, by the time he was 22, Ronaldo had more wins under his belt.
This included nominations for FIFA World Player of the Year and Ballon d’Or title. Six years later, he won Ballon d’Or in 2013. He did it again in 2014! The following year, he scored his 500th goal for his football club. Pretty impressive stuff!
Last Goal
With someone as magnificent on the pitch as Ronaldo, it is understandable that there comes a time when you want to switch paths. After all, there’s only so much time that you can play for one team, which is why he left Manchester United.
In 2009, Ronaldo scored his last goal for the team as part of a free-kick at Old Trafford. We can only imagine the kind of bittersweet feeling that this achievement must have given him. Perhaps he’ll return to the team in the future.
Personal Challenges
For someone as wealthy and successful as Ronaldo, you might think that life is complete bliss. Sadly, that is not the case, and Ronaldo has had his fair share of difficulties to overcome. In 2007, his mother went through breast cancer.
Being the family man that he is, Ronaldo was at her side the entire time, helping her overcome this great pain. Thankfully, she managed to overcome the disease and made a full recovery from cancer. She is still close with her son, even today.
Ronaldo Museum
With someone as talented as Ronaldo, it makes sense that the people in his hometown adore him. He is from Funchal in Madrid, which is the largest city in Madeira. In his town, the residents created a museum for Ronaldo.
This museum contains many of Ronaldo’s things and teaches visitors about just some of this fantastic soccer player’s most outstanding achievements. There are also a few medals, trophies, and unique photographs he donated to this place. What a nice guy he is!
Lightning Fast
We’ve already heard about how fast Ronaldo can jump, but did you know that he’s pretty fast at sprinting? It makes sense – after all, he is a soccer player! Ronaldo completed a sprinting zig-zag match against Angel David Rodriquez.
In case you didn’t know, Rodriquez is a professional Spanish sprinter, but Ronaldo still managed to beat him! However, when they completed the same match in a straight line, Rodriquez managed to claim a victory. It just goes to show how fast Ronaldo truly is!
Cry Baby Part 2
You might think that Ronaldo left his crying days behind him as a child. However, there are still times that his emotions come to the forefront. Take the 2004 European Cup final in Lisbon, for example, where Ronaldo had valid reasons to tear up.
Unfortunately, his team, Portugal, lost against Greece, which naturally made Ronaldo start to cry. So, it should come as no surprise that his teammates still use the nickname “cry baby” to talk about Ronaldo. It’s a pretty deserving but embarrassing name for him!
Daddy Ronaldo
It appears that the victories never stop for Ronaldo – both on the pitch and off it! On July 3rd, 2010, Ronaldo’s ex-girlfriend gave birth to his first son. Sadly, they broke up shortly after the boy was born.
The baby’s mother was a former waitress. Currently, Ronaldo has full custody of his son, who he named after himself. Yes, that’s right – the baby’s name is “Cristiano Ronaldo Junior.” Let’s hope he’s a good soccer player like his father!
Ronaldo’s Role
With a soccer player as incredible as Ronaldo, there are hardly any other players that seem to compare to him. In fact, most people consider Lionel Messi to be the only one in Ronaldo’s generation who comes close to Ronaldo’s talents.
On the pitch, Ronaldo plays the role of an attacking striker or sometimes a winger, as he is pretty powerful with the ball. Most of his skills are related to his ability to dribble and finish the ball. He’s a pretty deft hand at a free-kick, too!
Lucky Break
Of course, Ronaldo would never have made it this big if it wasn’t for his friend Albert Fantrau. The two of them played for a youth club together in Portugal. They were told that whoever scored the most goals would be accepted onto the Sporting Lisbon Academy.
Fantrau was very close to scoring a goal but instead decided to pass the ball to Ronaldo as they played. Ronaldo scored the goal and became a member of the Academy. Why did Fantrau do this? He says it’s because Ronaldo was the better player!
Ambidextrous
You might not know this, but most soccer players have one foot that is more dominant than the other – just like with our hands. For Ronaldo, it is his right foot that often takes center stage in a soccer match.
Don’t underestimate his skills, though – he is just as capable with his left foot as he is with his right foot! Ronaldo can control, cross, and finish the ball nicely with his left foot. He truly is a master of the pitch!
Viruses
With great success comes great responsibility, and Ronaldo is undoubtedly no stranger to this rule. As he is one of the most famous soccer players in the world, there are plenty of dodgy individuals who try to use his fame.
McAfee’s tech security company created a list in 2012 of the footballers’ names that led to suspicious websites on Google. Can you guess who ranked number one? Yep – it was Cristiano Ronaldo! People do try to capitalize on him.
School Life
However, it has not always been plain sailing for Ronaldo. In particular, Ronaldo had quite a rough time at school with the teachers. Many students liked him, but he was not great at academia. He actually was expelled at 14 years old!
The reason for this was because Ronaldo got so angry that he chucked a chair at one of the teachers. He claimed this was because the teacher was rude to him. Thankfully, this led to Ronaldo focusing entirely on his soccer career and becoming a legend.
Rags to Riches
Outside of school, Ronaldo lived a pretty difficult life with his family. They had very little money and lived a very different life from the luxury Ronaldo knows today. In fact, Ronaldo shared a bedroom with his brothers and sisters.
This is because the family could not afford to buy a house that was big enough for everyone. After working hard and facing many challenges, Ronaldo now lives a life of success. He will never have to worry about money again.
Troublesome Ronaldo
Despite being such a talented soccer player, Ronaldo has certainly had his fair share of controversy on the pitch. The most famous of these incidents was in 2006 when Ronaldo played for Manchester United. He gave the opposing team fans a rude gesture.
Let’s just say that this gesture is also known as a “one-fingered salute”! Clearly, Ronaldo’s emotions got the better of him, and the UEFA gave him a one-match ban as a result of this. Thankfully, Ronaldo learned his lesson afterward.
Fashionable Football
Like most soccer players, Ronaldo is known for being someone quite sophisticated and intelligent. As such, it makes sense that he opened his own fashion boutique in 2006. He called it “CR7.” Can you guess what the letters stand for?
Yep – “CR” are his initials, and “7” is his shirt number for Manchester United! He opened this first boutique on his home island of Madeira. In contrast, the second boutique opened a few years later in Portugal. You can buy plenty of gorgeous items at these stores.
Religion
Something that is just as important as football is Ronaldo’s religion. He is a very religious person and follows strict Roman Catholic beliefs, both on and off the field. This makes sense, as most people from his hometown are Roman Catholics.
However, unlike some other soccer players, Ronaldo does not often speak publicly about his religion, as he prefers to keep his beliefs to himself. That doesn’t stop him from wearing crucifix necklaces from time to time, which keeps him close to God.
All That Muscle
Doing so many sports means that Ronaldo is constantly in almost-perfect shape, and it certainly shows! In fact, his body has only 10% body fat, which allows Ronaldo to flex his impressive muscles on the pitch when playing soccer.
As you might expect, this muscle-to-fat ratio really helps Ronaldo excel at sprinting, which is needed when chasing after the ball. Ronaldo also does very well with other athletic courses – his body is truly one magnificent machine to behold!
First Steps
The first club that Ronaldo ever signed with was a local one, which was titled “Nacional.” Although the team was relatively small, signing with the group allowed Ronaldo to win a campaign and get more well-known. Eventually, he had a three-trial as part of Sporting CP.
They were impressed with his skills, signing Ronaldo after this trial. Ronaldo has never made it public how much they paid to sign him, though we reckon it was high. Apparently, all the other players “knew he was a special kid.”
Young Start
However, even before he was officially signed to any teams, Ronaldo played for a local group called “Andorinha.” This team was only an amateur one, and Ronaldo’s father worked as a kit man for the group. Ronaldo was only eight at the time!
Clearly, his skills as a professional soccer player began from a very young age. If you’ve ever seen Ronaldo on the pitch, then you’ll know how amazing he is. This young start worked well for him and kickstarted his career.
No 7
One of the most recognizable features of Ronaldo is the number of his shirt – number 7. The manager for Manchester United at the time, Sir Alex Ferguson, apparently had no worries when he decided to sign Ronaldo for the first time.
In fact, he said that Ronaldo’s “confidence was high even at 18. When he debuted as a substitute against Bolton, he took the place by storm.” Ronaldo’s confidence suited him pretty well and got him a place on a significant team.
Hat-Trick
If you didn’t know, a “hat-trick” is when a soccer player manages to score three goals in one match – a pretty challenging achievement! So far, Ronaldo has only managed to score one hat-trick for Manchester United. However, this wasn’t the most significant part of the match.
This hat-trick was part of a 6-0 win for Manchester United when they competed against Newcastle United way back in 2008. Because of Ronaldo’s success with the ball, the team shot to the pole position in the Premier League.
Fighting Words
However, not everyone is as big of a fan of Ronaldo as you might assume. Back in 2013, the then-president of FIFA, Sepp Blatter, faced the question of if he preferred Messi or Ronaldo. The answer was not too sweet!
Sepp Blatter said he preferred Messi because “one of them has more hairdressers expenses than the other” – ouch! Naturally, Ronaldo was furious, and his then-team Real Madrid asked Blatter to apologize. Blatter was forced to accept and apologize to Ronaldo for his comments.
Moments
It appears that Ronaldo’s talents just don’t stop! In 2007, he released an autobiography titled Moments. Lots of fans enjoyed the book, and it got pretty good reviews. In Moments, Ronaldo discussed his family relationships and showed off his love for the sport.
Similarly, Ronaldo made it clear how much he desired to travel the world while playing sport. From the book, it’s pretty clear that Ronaldo values his family a lot. Many fans said they loved how “inspirational” Moments was for them.
Helping Out
You might think that someone as great as Ronaldo is a good person – and you’d be correct. He has done a lot of charity work over the years. For example, he sold one of his awards for €1.5 million and donated the money to schools in the Middle East.
Similarly, he also worked as part of FIFA’s “11 for Health” group, which aimed to raise awareness of important issues for kids, such as obesity, malaria, and HIV. He certainly is a very charitable guy, and we love to see it!
The Real Thing
Here’s a fun fact that you might not know – Ronaldo’s full name is not actually Cristiano Ronaldo. “Ronaldo” isn’t even his surname! His full name is “Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro,” and “Ronaldo” is part of his second name.
As you might notice, Ronaldo’s surname comes from his mom. Her pregnancy with Cristiano was unplanned, primarily since Maria Dolores worked in an orphanage at the time. She demanded the baby’s name be Cristiano, but they had to give him a second name as he is Portuguese.
Health Problems
As we’ve already mentioned before, Ronaldo’s own family has suffered a few health issues before. He had also had some crucial visits to doctors at the hospital, such as when he was 15. He was diagnosed with some serious heart problems.
These could’ve stopped his career before it started, but he had an operation to fix them. Surprisingly, he wasn’t even away from the pitch for that long! It took only a few days for Ronaldo to get back to training again.
Early Promises
You might think that signing a player from such a young age may have made the team managers nervous. Well, one of Ronaldo’s first matches proved any fears wrong! He managed to get three goals for his team in the 2004 FA Cup final.
Because of these fantastic skills, Ronaldo managed to score a victory for Manchester United and indeed proved how wonderful of a player he is. Ever since this win, it’s just been more and more success for Ronaldo. He is unstoppable!
Cool Captain
Eventually, Ronaldo progressed to the title of “soccer captain” for Manchester United. This title came on March 19th, when he was the team captain in a match with Bolton. As you might expect, Ronaldo felt pretty nervous at the time.
However, it appears that there was no need for nerves since Ronaldo managed to get a win for his team. He scored both of the winning goals for his team, proving that he’s capable of being more than just a player.
Setting Records
Here’s more proof of how great Ronaldo is as a soccer player. In 2008, Ronaldo set a world record for FIFA after scoring 42 goals in total. That was only after a few years of being part of the franchise!
This eventually led to him getting the title of FIFA’s “World Player of the Year” award, which is pretty impressive. Fun fact: Ronaldo’s original FIFA contract lasted five years and cost £31 million. He’s definitely worth every penny of that!
Olympic Sports
Now we’ve got some more statistics related to Ronaldo’s extreme sprinting power. During one season of soccer, who do you think sprints more – Ronaldo or an Olympic sprinter? We think that the answer is going to surprise you!
It’s actually Ronaldo – he sprints over 900 times more than an Olympic sprinter! Of course, this is because he has to run more frequently and for a longer time. Olympic sprinters have to do this activity in a very limited amount of time.
Loyalty?
As you might already know, Ronaldo made the switch from Manchester United to Real Madrid in 2009. Many people accused him of being disloyal, but we think he did the right thing. After all, they paid him $131 million to join the team!
He acknowledged how much pressure the new time would give him but also recognized that “it means a new challenge.” He also said that signing to Real Madrid would help him “be the best footballer.” We definitely think he achieved this goal!
Buzz Lightyear
You might find yourself wondering – just how fast is someone as powerful as Ronaldo? Well, we have the answer for you! When Ronaldo kicked a ball at a free-kick, scientists measured that it had a speed of 13.1 kph or 8 miles per hour.
To make that even more impressive, that is almost the same speed as a space shuttle when it launches into space! Perhaps Ronaldo’s new nickname should be “Buzz Lightyear.” After all, he sends the soccer ball “to infinity and beyond”!
Ronaldo’s Personality
As cool of a guy and outstanding of a player he is, not everybody likes Ronaldo. Some people think that he is a little arrogant, and they believe that his personality is a little bit too much for them at times.
They’ve got a good reason for this. Back in 2011, Ronaldo said that people only disliked him simply because he was “too handsome, rich, and talented.” He definitely is each of these, but modesty is much more handsome than anything.