Player Feature: Cristiano Ronaldo

Full Name: Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro 

Birthdate: February 5, 1985

Birthplace: Funchal, Madeira, Portugal 

Current Team: Juventus

Position: Forward, Midfielder (Left)

Shirt number: 7

Years Active: 2001 – present

Key facts and stats

• Appeared on more than 803 matches
• Had a total of 601 goals
• Golden Boot awardee in 2018-19 (EPL)
• 2x Player of the Season (EPL)
• 4x Player of the Month (EPL)
• Serie A MVP
• 37% shooting accuracy

Cristiano Ronaldo started playing football professionally in 2002, although he was already a part of the Portugal national team from 2001. He currently captains the Portugal team.

He started playing for Sporting Clube de Portugal B as a reserve in 2002 then, as a senior player the following year. He moved on to Manchester United when he was just 18 years old and Real Madrid from 2003 to 2009 and 2009 to 2018, respectively. In 2018, he transferred to Juventus.

His 2009 transfer from Manchester United to Real Madrid has been one of the most expensive transfers in the world of football worth £80 million ($97 million) then. He broke this record when he signed up with Juventus with a transfer worth £100 million ($121 million). It was the highest-paid amount for a football player older than 30 years old. 

Hailed as one of the greatest football players of all time, Ronaldo has a total of 803 league appearances in a total of 17 leagues and cups. His most appearances are in La Liga (292), Premier League (196), and Champions League (162).

He scored the most goals at La Liga with 311, followed by Champions League with 126. He only had 84 goals so far for playing at the Premier League. He had a total of 601 goals as of 2018-19 season. Ronaldo is also the highest goalscorer of all-time among European players.

Ronaldo’s Premier League performance is widely received especially his last three seasons with the United. He had three championships and four Player of the Month awards. He was given the Golden Boot in the 2007-08 season, which means he was the leading goalscorer overall of that season. Ronaldo was also a two-time Player of the Season from 2006 to 2008.

He has a total of 29 trophies that include six league titles. Ronaldo has five Ballon d’Or awards; the most any European player has. He received his first Ballon d’Or when he was just 22 years old. He also had the most European Golden Shoe awards. Ronaldo was the current Serie A Most Valuable Player (MVP).

Ronaldo is known as an indirect set-piece threat. He likes to cut inside and do layoffs. Ronaldo has a solid finishing despite his very weak offside awareness. He dribbles, passes, and holds to the ball, but his defensive contributions are on the weaker side. He has a shooting accuracy of 37%.

The highest-paid athlete, Ronaldo’s popularity as a premier football player is evident in his influence on the youth. He has a celebrity status and compels the likes of Forbes to include him on its 100 most influential people worldwide list in 2014.

He has more than 170 million followers on Instagram – the most followed to date.

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