One of the best football players on the planet, and also one of the most watched persons on Instagram. That's Cristiano Ronaldo, a name known to almost everyone, even if they're not football fans. The famous athlete is celebrating his 36th birthday today, yet still shows extraordinary performance on the football field and makes his fans go crazy. Join us at LP-Life.com and let's take a look at some interesting facts about his personal and professional life. You will definitely not get bored!
Unwanted son and a problematic father-son relationship
The famous football player was born February 5, 1985 in Funchal, a town on the Portuguese island of Madeira. Cristiano was an unplanned child and his mother Marie Dolores dos Santos wanted to end her pregnancy, however, the doctor changed her mind. His father Jose Dinise Aveira named him after his favourite actor and the former US president at the same time, Ronald Reagan.
Cristiano has loved football ever since he was a child because of his father, who was a custodian in a youth football club. Sadly, due to his serious alcohol issues, his father didn't make life easy for Ronaldo. He died in 2005 at the age of just 52. It's a well-known fact that the famous football player was troubled by the fact that his father didn't get to see his football success. In an interview with Piers Morgan, the star got emotional and started crying when he saw an unpublished video in which Cristiano's father says he's proud of him and believes that his son will become the world's number one star.
"I have never seen this video. It's unbelievable. It means a lot to hear how much he's proud of me. I really didn't know my father, he was a drunk. That's why we could never speak with each other, it was very hard,"
said emotional Cristiano about the video with his father for a Norwegian TV station in 2004.
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Cristiano Ronaldo s trofejíSource: AFP PHOTO / L’EQUIPE / FRANCK FAUGERE
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Tough beginnings
One of the most talented football players in the world went to Lisbon on his own at the age of 12 to start his stellar career. At the age of 16, he began to train for an A team and he kept working hard even after the training, but the coach didn't include him in the matches until a year later. He didn't like Ronaldo's soloing, which went hand in hand with his infamous selfish behaviour. This might be a reason why some football fans are not so fond of him either.
The first Portuguese in a Manchester United jersey
He scored twice at his debut match against Moreirense FC and since then, offers from football titans have been coming. The clubs interested in him were Barcelona, Liverpool, Arsenal or Inter Milan, but it was Manchester United which eventually signed him for £12 million in 2003. Cristiano became the first-ever Portuguese to play in a Manchester United jersey.
In 2009, he was transferred to the Spanish super club Real Madrid for €94 million, where he became the best shooter in the club's history and the most expensive player in the world, a title he held until 2013. In the summer of 2018, he was bought by Juventus FC for €100 million, which was so far the most expensive purchase of the Italian club.
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Cristiano Ronaldo v dresu Juventusu TurínSource: Profimedia.cz
Father of four
Cristiano is the man in many ladies' dreams. Ronaldo himself had a number of affairs with several beautiful women, including Russian model Irina Shayk, heiress to the hotel empire Paris Hilton, and his current girlfriend Georgina Rodríguez, whom he considers the love of his life. Together they raise 4 children - daughter Alana Martina, twins born by a surrogate mother and their first son Cristiano Ronaldo Jr. The identity of their twins' surrogate mother remains a mystery, though.
Harsh accusations
In October 2018, the football superstar had to deal with huge issues regarding rape accusations, which was supposed to happen in a Las Vegas hotel room in 2009. The alleged victim, an American model, withdrew her lawsuit in June 2019. However, Ronaldo's lawyers considered filing a lawsuit for moral damages against big media. According to them, the allegations began to damage his career, especially his sponsorship. This doesn't apply to the Nike brand, though, which signed a lifetime contract with Cristiano.
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Cristiano Ronaldo s rodinouSource: Profimedia.cz
Heart at the right place
Some people consider Ronaldo a narcissist and an arrogant egoist, yet he is one of the most generous athletes. He sends generous donations to various charities throughout his entire career, such as UNICEF World Vision or Save the Children. In the past, he even paid 2 million CZK for a surgery for a 10-month-old baby, and he also covered the medical fees for a nine-year-old with cancer. He sent nearly 200 million CZK to Nepal destroyed by an earthquake, in which over 8,000 people died.
We wish the famous athlete all the best! And should you ever have doubts about yourself, remember Cristiano Ronaldo's words:
"In my mind, I'm always the best. I don't care what people think, what they say. In my mind, not just this year but always, I'm always the best."
