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Cristiano Ronaldo

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For other people named Ronaldo, see Ronaldo (disambiguation).
Cristiano Ronaldo
Personal information
Full name Cristiano Ronaldo
dos Santos Aveiro
Height 1.84 m (6 ft 1 in)[1]
Position(s) Right winger forward
Team information
Current team
 Manchester United
Number 7
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 12 February 2006

Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro, OIH (pron. IPA [kɾiʃ'tjɐnu ʁu'naɫðu] or [ʁo'naɫðu]), (born 5 February, 1985), better known as Cristiano Ronaldo, is a Portuguese professional football player, who plays for Manchester United F.C. and Portugal.

Biography

Ronaldo, was born in Funchal, Madeira, Portugal to his mother Maria Dolores dos Santos Aveiro and his father Jose Diniz Aveiro. He grew up with a brother, Hugo, and two sisters, Elma and Katia. His second name ("Ronaldo") is relatively rare in Portugal, his parents named him after former US president Ronald Reagan because he was his father's favourite actor, and not for political reasons.[2]

He first began kicking a football when he was two or three, and when he started primary school at age six, his passion for the sport was obvious. His favourite boyhood team was Benfica even though he would later join their rival, Sporting Lisbon.

Early career

Ronaldo first played for an amateur team, Andorinha, where his father was the kit man, when he was just eight years old.[3] By 1995, at just ten years of age, Cristiano Ronaldo's reputation was growing in Portugal. Madeira's top two teams, CS Marítimo and CD Nacional were both interested in signing him. Maritimo, the bigger team, missed a crucial meeting with Rui Santos manager of Andorinha, and as a result Ronaldo signed for Nacional. After a title-winning campaign at Nacional, Ronaldo went on a three day trial with Sporting Lisbon who subsequently signed him for an undisclosed sum.

Career at Sporting Lisbon

Ronaldo joined Sporting's other youth players who trained at the Alcochete, the club's "football factory," where he received first-class instruction. Sporting realised that Ronaldo needed more support and arranged for his mother to join him. He made his debut for Sporting Lisbon against Moreirense and scored 2 goals. He also featured for Portugal in the UEFA Under 17 Championships.

His performances at the UEFA Under 17 championship drew him to the attention of the wider football world. He was first spotted by former Liverpool F.C. manager Gerard Houllier at the age of 16. However, Liverpool later declined him because he was too young and needed some time to develop into a top footballer. However he came to the attention of Sir Alex Ferguson in the summer of 2003, when Sporting Lisbon beat Manchester United 3–1 in the inauguration of the Alvalade XXI stadium in Lisbon. Ronaldo demonstrated his ability to play on both wings. After the match, United's players spoke enthusiastically of the young talent that they had just played against, saying they would rather have him in their team than play against him in the future.

Career at Manchester United

Ferguson decided that he wanted the youngster for his team, who were in the market for a right-sided midfielder with the departure of David Beckham to Real Madrid; Ronaldo was signed for a fee of £12.24 million. He made his debut for Manchester United as a 60th minute substitute against Bolton Wanderers at Old Trafford.

Since his move to the famous English club, Ronaldo has earned equal amounts of praise for his style of play and dribbling skills.[4] He has played primarily as a winger for United and can play on either wing.

However for all his skill and pace, Ronaldo has proved inconsistent and critics question whether he is a capable successor to David Beckham and the famous number 7 shirt once worn by Old Trafford legends Eric Cantona, George Best and Bryan Robson.[who?] Ronaldo supposedly did not want the pressure of living up to expectations with this number, and so initially asked for the number 28 which he wore at Sporting.[3] Preferring a free role, he has often been accused of being selfish.[who?] A row between him and Ruud van Nistelrooy at the Carrington training ground has indeed intensified speculation about their roles at the club.[5] Ferguson has however put his faith with Ronaldo, who signed a new deal with United that will last through 2010. Ronaldo is also quoted in the Manchester Evening News as saying "United have stood by me and been there for me and I want to repay that."[6]

He was sent off in a game against Manchester City and a one-match ban was imposed by UEFA for a "one-fingered gesture" towards Benfica fans in a UEFA Champions League match in December 2005.[7] He was given a yellow card in a friendly with Portugal against Luxembourg for pushing Jeff Strasser in the throat in retaliation after Strasser tackled him. Felipe Scolari warned Ronaldo to keep his temper in check during the World Cup.[8]

On the 29 October, 2005 Ronaldo scored Manchester United's 1000th Premiership goal, in a 4–1 loss at the hands of Middlesbrough. He bagged a double double in February, with two goals at home to Fulham and another pair at Fratton Park, and also scored in the following Premiership game against Wigan taking his tally to 8 Premiership goals. On 26 February, 2006, Ronaldo played in the Carling Cup Final against Wigan in the Millennium Stadium at Cardiff, and scored a goal - taking his season's tally to 10 goals.

He was named FIFPro Special Young Player of the Year 2005, the only award to be voted for by fans. He also ranked 20th in the FIFA Player of the Year 2005 standings.

On 8 July 2006, after the sending off of United team-mate Wayne Rooney, and after much speculation in the English media that he had influenced Rooney's red card, Ronaldo told reporters that he thinks he "should get out of Manchester as the circumstances are not right to keep playing there."[9]

"I have told my agent I am prepared to leave. I want to do it in the best manner possible. I want to play for Real Madrid and dream of doing so," Ronaldo told the Spanish sports daily Marca.[10]

On 9 July, he also said for SIC, a Portuguese television channel, he cannot understand all verbal violence and pejorative speculation about him. Cristiano declared he did not behave wrongly when Portugal defeated England and so cannot be blamed for defending his home country colours. He added that he cannot live and work in a place where people do not like him, so he will be glad to move out of England.

Several news sources consider that Cristiano Ronaldo's departure from Manchester United is imminent,[11][12][13] however, Manchester United still hopes to retain the footballer. Sir Alex Ferguson has sent assistant boss Carlos Queiroz to Portugal hoping to change the young player's mind,[14] and teammate Wayne Rooney has pleaded with Ronaldo not to leave the team and to let their differences rest.[15] Ronaldo still has three years left on his contract and is currently expected by manager Sir Alex Ferguson to report for pre-season training.[9]

On July 12, United released a statement saying "The club can confirm there is no possibility of Cristiano being sold. Cristiano recently signed a new contract until 2010 and the club fully expects him to honour that contract. The club will not listen to any offers for Cristiano," and on July 17, Sir Alex Ferguson said, "Cristiano will be coming back," while Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho said, "If he stays in England, I think he can turn things around." Cristiano Ronaldo returned to United after all potential problems were cleared.[16][17]

Nevertheless, Ronaldo appeared to have been forgiven somewhat by the majority of Manchester United fans when he played (and scored) in his first premiership match since the 2006 World Cup. Manchester United fans could be clearly be heard chanting "there's only one Ronaldo" at various points in the game, in a 5-1 win over Fulham F.C. Since then, a BBC report stated that Ronaldo has said that he no longer wishes to leave Manchester United, and is happy to remain at the club.

International career

Ronaldo made his international debut in August 2003, against Kazakhstan. He scored Portugal's only goal in their 2–1 loss to Greece in the opening match of Euro 2004 and the first goal of the semi final against the Netherlands, which Portugal won 2–1. The final saw a rematch of the opening game of the tournament, and again, Greece emerged victorious.

Ronaldo represented Portugal at the 2004 Summer Olympics, and was the second highest scorer in FIFA World Cup qualification in the European zone with 7 goals. As of 17 June, 2005, he has scored 11 goals in 25 appearances for his country.

2006 FIFA World Cup

Ronaldo scored his first World Cup goal against Iran with a penalty kick.

In the Round of 16, he left Portugal's 1-0 win over Netherlands injured after a high tackle by Khalid Boulahrouz.

Ronaldo recovered in time to play in the quarter-final of the competition against England on 1 July, 2006, scoring the final penalty shoot-out that sealed the Portuguese victory. However, Ronaldo was widely criticised for his gamesmanship by the English Press.[18][19] England's Wayne Rooney stamped on Portuguese defender Ricardo Carvalho's groin after a struggle for the ball. Ronaldo, Rooney's Manchester United team-mate, then sprinted over to appeal to the referee. Rooney pushed Ronaldo before receiving a red card. Former England striker and TV pundit Alan Shearer suggested Rooney might "stick one on Ronaldo" when the two meet again.[20] BBC pundit Gary Lineker showed viewers footage of Ronaldo winking at the Portuguese bench after Rooney was sent off. Also before the match, Ronaldo was seen to whisper something in Rooney’s ear as he walked by him, with a headbutt feint from behind[1]. Ronaldo's behaviour in the match also came under fire from several England players, most notably Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard. In their respective autobiographies, Gerrard claimed that 'a dark side stains Cristiano Ronaldo's game', whilst Lampard said Ronaldo's actions made him 'sick'.

Sven-Göran Eriksson told reporters that the referee Horacio Elizondo explained after the match that the red card was for the initial challenge on Carvalho. Elizondo confirmed the initial story told by Eriksson to the The Times, saying "It was violent play and therefore he got a red card. People can say what they want (about Ronaldo) but this had absolutely no influence. For me it was a clear red card, so I didn't react to the Portuguese players."[21] Portuguese keeper Ricardo backed Ronaldo, saying: "There always has to be a scapegoat when someone loses.", "I don't think (Ronaldo) influenced the referee. The referee was right on top of it."[22]

Ronaldo said, "I complained to the referee about the foul but I didn't ask for a red card". After the match he admitted reports that Real Madrid are interested in him are correct, and he is now much more likely to go to the Spanish club or elsewhere over the summer transfer period.[23]

After England's elimination Ronaldo was attacked by the English tabloids. The Sun made a dart board with a picture of his wink in a similar fashion to the one made after the 1998 World Cup for David Beckham by The Daily Mirror, another English tabloid.[24][25][26]

Ronaldo has said that Rooney was a friend, and that he was not trying to get Rooney a red card.[27] Rooney said, "I bear no ill feeling to Cristiano but am disappointed that he chose to get involved."[28]

Wayne Rooney was investigated by FIFA's disciplinary committee after being sent off during England's World Cup quarter-final defeat against Portugal, banned for two competitive matches and fined 5 000 Swiss francs (2 207 pounds).

On July 5, in the semi-final against France, which Portugal lost 1-0, Ronaldo was loudly booed each time he had possession of the ball, by French and English fans alike. At the end of the match, he broke down in tears for his loss, like he had done on many other occasions. Though generally considered the best player on the pitch during the match, several reports accused Ronaldo (and other members of his side) of trying to influence the referee by diving.[29][30][31][32][33] There have been similar accusations in the past, and Ronaldo has been booked for the offence more than once in the English Premiership.[34][35][36] Shortly after he dropped back to second place in the online voting for Best Young Player, it was reported by BBC Sport that this was partly because of an email campaign by an England supporter urging people to vote for Luis Valencia, who was the second place player to prevent Ronaldo from winning the award.[37] Though the online vote only affected the nomination process, FIFA Technical Study Group awarded the honours to Germany's Lukas Podolski, citing Ronaldo's behaviour as a factor.[38]

Private life

His father, Dinis Aveiro died on September 7, 2005. Ronaldo played in a World Cup qualifier against Russia only hours after receiving the news.[39] He was also granted compassionate leave by Sir Alex Ferguson and missed the Manchester derby against Manchester City on September 10. However, he declared himself available for Manchester United's next match in the UEFA Champions League, against Villarreal.

In October 2005, Ronaldo and another man were questioned by police for an alleged sexual assault. Ronaldo denied the accusation and The Crown Prosecution Service stated there were insufficient evidence to press charges.[40]

Cristiano is currently linked with Merche Romero (a Spanish TV anchorwoman working in Portugal. She is a divorcee, 9-years older than Ronaldo); both have denied the relationship in the Portuguese press. In the past, Ronaldo has dated the model Jordana Jardel, sister of Brazilian footballer Mario Jardel, model Lauren Frain. Ronaldo has also done charity work, including flying out Martunis, an 11-year-old Indonesian tsunami survivor and his father to attend one of their World Cup qualifiers in June 2005; covering all their expenses. Subsequently all the players contributed money to buy them a house in Indonesia.[41][42]

After the two World Cup qualifiers, Ronaldo flew to Indonesia to visit the areas affected by the tsunami and to raise funds. He met the Vice President of the Indonesian Republic Jusuf Kalla and the President of East Timor Xanana Gusmão, and raised £66,000 (about $120,000 USD) by auctioning off his personal sports gear in Jakarta, Indonesia.[43]

Career stats

All-Time Club Performance
Club Season Domestic League Domestic Cup League Cup European Competition Total
App Goals App Goals App  Goals App Goals App Goals
Manchester United 06-07 3 1 3 1
05-06 32 9 2 0 4 2 8 1 46 12
04-05 33 5 7 4 2 0 8 0 50 9
03-04 29 4 5 2 1 0 5 0 40 6
Total 97 19 14 6 7 2 21 1 139 28
Sporting Lisbon 02-03 25 3 - - - -
Total 25 3
Career Totals 122 22 7 2

Trivia

References

  1. ^ "2006 FIFA World Cup Germany - Player Profile Page - CRISTIANO RONALDO - Portugal". FIFAworldcup.com. Retrieved 2006-07-10.
  2. ^ Duncan White (2006-06-21). "Ronaldo holds back the tears". Telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 2006-07-10. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  3. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference ronaldoattack was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ "ESPNsoccernet: Cristiano Ronaldo". ESPN. Retrieved 2006-07-11.
  5. ^ Simon Stone (2006-06-23). "Van Nistelrooy plays down rumours of Ronaldo Dispute". The Independent. Retrieved 2006-07-11.
  6. ^ "Ronaldo's top dog in the Premiership - and there are monthly awards for Convey, Carey and Hawley too". GiveMeFootball.com. 2006-04-03. Retrieved 2006-07-11. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  7. ^ "Ronaldo ban after finger gesture". BBC. 2006-02-03. Retrieved 2006-07-11. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  8. ^ "Scolari wants Ronaldo to cool it". Soccernet. 2006-06-04. Retrieved 2006-07-11. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  9. ^ a b "Ronaldo intends to leave Man Utd". BBC. 2006-07-08. Retrieved 2006-07-08. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  10. ^ "Cristiano Ronaldo plans Real move". Reuters. 2006-06-28. Retrieved 2006-07-10. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  11. ^ "Comment: Pack yourbags, now Ronaldo !". Manchester Evening News. 2006-07-10. Retrieved 2006-07-11. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  12. ^ "Ronaldo claims are an insult to Ferguson". Square Football. 2006-07-10. Retrieved 2006-07-11. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  13. ^ "Cristiano Ronaldo to Real, Torres to Man Utd and Cannavaro to Chelsea". InTheNews. 2006-07-08. Retrieved 2006-07-11. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  14. ^ "Ferguson sends Man Utd No2 Queiroz to Ronaldo meeting". Tribal Football. 2006-07-11. Retrieved 2006-07-11. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  15. ^ "Rooney pleads with Ronaldo not to quit Man Utd". Tribal Football. 2006-07-09. Retrieved 2006-07-11. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  16. ^ "United Won't Listen to Ronaldo Offers". ESPNsoccernet. 2006-07-12. Retrieved 2006-07-12. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  17. ^ "Fergie: Ronaldo will be back". FoxSoccer.com. 2006-07-12. Retrieved 2006-07-17. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  18. ^ Jonathan Northcroft (2006-07-02). "Ronaldo, the problem child". Times Online. Retrieved 2006-07-12. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  19. ^ Oliver Kay (2006-06-24). "Time has come for Ronaldo to act his age". Times Online. Retrieved 2006-07-12. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  20. ^ "Roo vs Ron" YouTube video 2006-07-12
  21. ^ "Ronaldo cleared over Rooney red card". Soccernet. 2006-07-04. Retrieved 2006-07-10. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  22. ^ "Ronaldo's WC to bring trouble at club". Associated Press. 2006-07-03. Retrieved 2006-07-10. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  23. ^ "World-Ronaldo's future at Manchester United in doubt". Reuters. 2006-07-01. Retrieved 2006-07-10. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  24. ^ Luis Arroyave (2006-07-02). "Beckham gives up armband". The Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2006-07-10. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  25. ^ "British press bids Eriksson `good riddance'". Associated Press. 2006-07-02. Retrieved 2006-07-10. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  26. ^ Tim Spanton. "Give Ron one in the eye". The Sun. Retrieved 2006-07-10.
  27. ^ Tim Spanton (2006-07-02). "Ronaldo: I never asked for Rooney red card". The Sun. Retrieved 2006-07-10. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  28. ^ Matt Barlow (2006-07-04). "Rooney Thanks Team-mates". Sporting Life. Retrieved 2006-07-06. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  29. ^ youtube.com. "Portugal have a Dive". Retrieved 2006-07-20.
  30. ^ Mike Hytner (2006-07-06). "Diving threatens to ruin game". Eurosport. Retrieved 2006-07-10. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  31. ^ John Haydon (2006-07-06). "Semifinal act". The Washington Times. Retrieved 2006-07-06. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  32. ^ Martyn Ziegler (2006-07-05). "NO FOND FAREWELL FOR SCOLARI". Sporting Life. Retrieved 2006-07-10. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  33. ^ Bruce Crumley (2006-07-05). "Hungry to the final whistle". Time. Retrieved 2006-07-06. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  34. ^ Henry Winter (2005-04-18). "Ferguson's men script a showdown". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 2006-07-06. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  35. ^ Roy Collins (2004-01-18). "Wolves turn the tables on United". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 2006-07-06. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  36. ^ Tim Rich (2005-04-18). "Two sent off as United receive history lesson". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 2006-07-06. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  37. ^ "Supporters 'hijack' Ronaldo vote". BBC. 2006-07-06. Retrieved 2006-07-10. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  38. ^ "Podolski beats Ronaldo to award". BBC. 2006-07-07. Retrieved 2006-07-10. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  39. ^ "Scolari praises grieving Ronaldo". BBC. 2005-09-08. Retrieved 2006-07-10. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  40. ^ "Ronaldo will not face rape charge". BBC. 2005-11-24. Retrieved 2006-07-10. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  41. ^ "Cristiano Ronaldo: "United can win the title"". FIFA.com. 2005-02-28. Retrieved 2006-07-10. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  42. ^ Dyah Ayu Wanodyasari (2005-06-27). "Revisit the Tsunami Victim: a Little Miracle for Little Martunis". Blogcritics.org. Retrieved 2006-07-10. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  43. ^ "Ronaldo will wait on United deal". Soccernet. 2005-06-23. Retrieved 2006-07-10. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  44. ^ "Gays Pick Pin-Ups". Agence France-Presse. 2006-06-16. Retrieved 2006-07-10. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  45. ^ "Cristiano Ronaldo's Profile". Cristiano Ronaldo Attack. Retrieved 2006-07-12.


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