Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a forward for Manchester United, the Premier League club, and is also the captain of the Portugal national team.
He is one of the world’s greatest players of all time. Ronaldo has won five Ballon d’Or Awards and four European Golden Shoes. He has won 32 trophies in his career, including seven league titles, five UEFA Champions Leagues, and the UEFA European Championship.
10. He Has a Lifetime Endorsement Deal
With NikeIn 2016, Ronaldo got a lifetime endorsement deal with Nike worth that was worth 1 Billion Dollars. He is the third lifetime deal after LeBron James and Michael Jordan.
That year, Ronaldo’s social media presence generated $474 million in value for Nike through his 329 posts.
9. Ronaldo’s Legs Were Insured
For Over 100 Million Euros In 2009, Real Madrid announced that the team had insured Cristiano Ronaldo’s legs for around 100 million Euros.
Ronaldo has no tattoos, the player regularly donates blood and does not want to have to wait months after a tattoo to be able to donate. He is also registered as a bone marrow donor.
8. He is an Influencer on Social Media
Ronaldo is the most-followed person on Instagram. He has over 520 million followers on Instagram. He earns far more from his role as an Instagram influencer compared to what he makes from playing football.
With the dynamics of marketing rapidly changing, social media influencers are promoting products on behalf of companies and getting paid for the publicity. On Facebook, he has 156 million followers, and 106 million on Twitter.
7. There is a Museum In his Honor
In 2013, Ronaldo opened a museum at Funchal in Madeira in his honor. The Museu CR7 is a museum that contains Ronaldo’s trophies that he has won over the years which is over 150 pieces.
The museum is an official sponsor of the local football team União da Madeira, the town where the player was born. Above the museum, there is a hotel built in a partnership between Ronaldo and the Pestana Group.
In front of the museum, there is a bronze statue of Cristiano Ronaldo, made by the Madeiran sculptor Ricardo Velosa.
6. He Can Jump Higher Than an Average NBA Player
Ronaldo has a brilliant aerial ability. When the ball comes in the box from a cross, you will frequently see him soar above everyone and cause complete havoc, whether it is scoring with a powerful header or attracting multiple defenders.
He is strong and has an amazing vertical leap. With a starting run-up, the forward can reach a whopping 78 CMs off the floor (30.7 inches). This is 7 CMs higher than the average NBA player considering that a vertical leap is so key in basketball.
5. Ronaldo Attributes his Success to His Friend Albert Fantrau
Sporting Lisbon visited Ronaldo’s youth club and stated that whoever scored the most goals would get a place in their academy. Ronaldo and his friend, Albert Fantrau, were on the same team and they both scored a goal to put their team up 2-0.
For the third and final goal, Albert took it around the keeper but selflessly passed the ball to Ronaldo for him to score. Ronaldo was taken into the academy.
When he asked Alfred why he refused to score and get the chance, Albert said he was confident Ronaldo was a better player than himself.
4. The Player Had Heart Surgery at 15 Years
When Ronaldo was 15 years old, he was diagnosed with tachycardia – a racing heart condition, which meant his heart rate was higher than normal even while resting.
The condition might have forced him to give up playing football but fortunately, it was diagnosed and treated before it became a serious problem. He had an operation in which a laser was used to cauterize the area of his heart that was causing the problem.
The surgery took place and he was released the same day. Ronaldo was back in training just a few days later.
3. He Was Nicknamed ‘Little Bee’
Growing up, Ronaldo didn’t have the catchiest of nicknames. He was referred to by two popular nicknames, ‘crybaby’ and ‘little bee’. They called him crybaby because he would always cry if things didn’t go his way.
When other kids would fight on the pitch, Ronaldo would result in tears as his favorite conflict resolution method. If he passed the ball and his friends didn’t score he would cry.
2. Ronaldo Has Six Children
Ronaldo is a father of six children with different women and some through surrogacy. His firstborn is Cristiano Jr., born on 17th June 2010 in the United States.
He’s currently in a relationship with Argentine-Spanish model Georgina Rodríguez and they have children together.
1. His Mum Almost Had an Abortion
Cristiano Ronaldo was born on 5th February 1985. His parents were Maria Dolores dos Santos Viveiros da Aveiro and José Dinis Aveiro.
The dad was a municipal gardener and part-time kit man for a local football team while his mum was a cook and a cleaner who worked long hours to provide for her children and family. Sadly, his father died of an alcoholism-related liver condition in 2005 when the player was only 20 years.
Ronaldo was the last born in a family of four children. He has one older brother, Hugo, and two older sisters, Elma and Liliana.
In her book “Mother Courage”, Ronaldo’s mother, Maria Aveiro, details how she considered terminating her pregnancy with Ronaldo due to poverty and her husband’s issues with alcohol.