Named After a President
The greatest goalscorer in history was named after a US president. Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro was born on 5 February 1985 in Funchal, the capital of the Portuguese island of Madeira. His father admired Ronald Reagan and named his son after him.
He grew up poor. His mother worked as a cook and a cleaner. His father was a municipal gardener and a part-time kit man for the local club Andorinha. Ronaldo grew up in a Catholic home, sharing a single room with his older brother and two older sisters.
As a boy he idolised the Brazilian stars Ronaldinho and Ronaldo. He also has Cape Verdean ancestry through his great-grandmother. From that small island, he would go on to become one of the most famous people on the planet.
From Manchester to Madrid
Ronaldo started his career at Sporting CP before joining Manchester United in 2003. He grew into the team's key player, winning three straight Premier League titles, the 2007-08 Champions League and the 2008 FIFA Club World Cup. For that 2007-08 season he won his first Ballon d'Or, at just 23.
In 2009 he joined Real Madrid for 94 million euros, then the most expensive transfer in history. He led the club's return to European dominance, helping win four Champions Leagues between 2014 and 2018, including the long-awaited La Decima in 2014, the club's tenth European title.
That season he set the record for most goals in a single Champions League campaign. At Madrid he also won two La Liga titles, added Ballon d'Or wins in 2013, 2014, 2016 and 2017, and became the club's all-time top goalscorer.
Italy, a Return, and Arabia
In 2018 Ronaldo moved to Juventus in a transfer worth a league-record 100 million euros. He was pivotal in winning two consecutive Serie A titles and the Coppa Italia, and in 2021 he took the Capocannoniere, the award for the league's top scorer.
Later in 2021 he returned to Manchester United, but his contract was ended in 2022 after a public dispute with the club's management.
In 2023 he joined Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia, where he is captain. He finished as the Saudi Pro League's top scorer in 2024 and 2025, and in 2026 he led Al-Nassr to the league title. That makes him the only player to finish as top scorer in four different domestic leagues, and the only one to score 100 goals for four different clubs.
Portugal's Captain
Ronaldo made his debut for Portugal in 2003, aged 18. He scored his first international goal at Euro 2004, where Portugal reached the final, and took over as captain ahead of Euro 2008.
His biggest international night came at Euro 2016, when he led Portugal to their first major tournament title. At Euro 2020 he won the Golden Boot as top scorer, and he won the UEFA Nations League in both 2019 and 2025, finishing as top scorer in each.
The numbers are unmatched. With 233 international appearances, he is history's most-capped male player, earning more than 200 caps. He holds the record for most men's international goals, 146, and most international victories, 141. In 2026 he became the first player to score at six World Cups, and Portugal's top scorer at the tournament with 11 goals.
A Record Book of His Own
Ronaldo is one of the most decorated players the sport has ever seen, with 35 trophies. He has won five Ballon d'Or awards and been named the world's best player by FIFA five times.
In the Champions League he holds the records for most goals, 140, and most assists, 42. At the European Championship he holds the records for most goals, 14, and most assists, 8. He has made over 1,300 professional appearances, the most by an outfield player, and scored over 970 official senior goals for club and country, making him the top goalscorer of all time.
His fame is on the same scale. He is the most popular athlete on social media, with over 1 billion followers across major platforms. In 2026 he appeared on the Forbes World's Billionaires list for the first time, with a net worth of 1.2 billion dollars.
