Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro, born 5 February 1985, commonly known as Cristiano Ronaldo, is a Portuguese footballer who

plays as a Forward for Spanish club Real Madrid and serves as captain of the Portuguese national team. Ronaldo currently holds the distinction of being the most expensive player in football history after having transferred to Real Madrid from Manchester United in a deal worth 80 million (94m, US$132m). His contract with Real Madrid is believed to have made him the highest-paid football player in the world. Ronaldo's precocious talent caught the attention of Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson and he signed the 18-year-old for 12.24 million in 2003. The following season, Ronaldo won his first club honour, the FA Cup, and reached the UEFA Euro 2004 final with Portugal, in which tournament he scored his first international goal. In 2008, Ronaldo won his first UEFA Champions League title, and was named player of the tournament. He was named the FIFPro World Player of the Year and the FIFA World Player of the Year, in addition to becoming Manchester United's first Ballon d'Or winner in 40 years. Early life Ronaldo was born on 5 February 1985 in Santo Antnio, a neighbourhood of Funchal, Madeira, the youngest child of Maria Dolores dos Santos Aveiro, a cook, and Jos Dinis Aveiro, a municipal gardener. His second given name, "Ronaldo", was chosen after then-U.S. president Ronald Reagan, who was his father's favourite actor. Club career Sporting CP However, he came to the attention of Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson in the summer of 2003, when Sporting defeated United 31 in the inauguration of the Estdio Jos Alvalade in Lisbon. Ronaldo's performance impressed the Manchester United players, who urged Ferguson to sign him. Manchester United