Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro, ComM, GOIH (Portuguese

pronunciation: [ki'tjnu unadu], born 5 February 1985) is a Portuguese

professional footballer for Spanish club Real Madrid and the Portugal national
team. He primarily plays as a forward, but has also been deployed as
a winger and serves as captain for Portugal. In 2008, he won his first Ballon
d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year awards. Ronaldo then won the FIFA
Ballon d'Or in 2013 and 2014. In 2016, he received his fourth Ballon d'Or, the
most for a European player in the history of the award, and the inaugural Best
FIFA Men's Player. In 2015, Ronaldo scored his 500th senior career goal for club
and country.

Often ranked the best player in the world and widely regarded as one of the
greatest of all time, Ronaldo was named the best Portuguese player of all time by
the Portuguese Football Federation, during its 100th anniversary celebrations in
2015. He is the only player to win four European Golden Shoe awards. One of
the most marketable athletes in sport, in 2016 Forbes named Ronaldo the world's
best paid athlete. In June 2016, ESPN ranked him the world's most famous
athlete.

Ronaldo began his senior club career playing for Sporting CP, before signing
with Manchester United at age 18 in 2003. After winning his first trophy, the FA
Cup, during his first season in England, he helped United win three
successive Premier League titles, a UEFA Champions League title, and a FIFA
Club World Cup. By age 23, he had received Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player
of the Year nominations. He was the subject of the most expensive association
football transfer when he moved from Manchester United to Real Madrid in 2009
in a transfer worth 94 million ($132 million). In Spain, he has won one La
Liga title, two Copas del Rey, two Champions League titles, and two Club World
Cups. Ronaldo holds the record for most goals scored in a single UEFA
Champions League season, having scored 17 goals in the 201314 season. In
2014, Ronaldo became the fastest player to score 200 goals in La Liga, which he
achieved in his 178th La Liga game. He is the only player in the history of football
to score more than 50 goals in a season on six consecutive occasions. In 2015,
Ronaldo became the all-time top goalscorer in the UEFA Champions League,
and he also became Real Madrid's all-time leading goalscorer. In 2017, he
became the first player to reach 100 goals in European club competitions, as well
as in the UEFA Champions League. He is the second highest goalscorer in La
Liga history behind Lionel Messi, his perceived career rival.

Ronaldo made his international debut for Portugal in August 2003, at the age of
18. He is Portugal's most capped player of all time with over 130 caps, and has
participated in seven major tournaments: four UEFA European
Championships (2004, 2008, 2012 and 2016) and three FIFA World
Cups (2006, 2010 and 2014). He is the first Portuguese player to reach 50
international goals, making him Portugal's all-time top goalscorer. He scored his
first international goal in Euro 2004 and helped Portugal reach the final. He took
over full captaincy in July 2008, and he led Portugal to the semi-finals at Euro
2012, finishing the competition as joint-top scorer. In November 2014, Ronaldo
became the all-time top scorer in the UEFA European Championship (including
qualifying) with 23 goals. At Euro 2016, he became the most capped player of all-
time in the tournament, the first player to score at four consecutive European
Championship finals, and also equalled Michel Platini's all-time record for most
goals scored in the competition. Ronaldo lifted the trophy after Portugal defeated
France in the final, and he received the Silver Boot as the second-highest
goalscorer of the tournament.