Cristiano Ronaldo was born in Funchal, Madeira Portugal on February 5, 1985 to Maria Dolores and José Dinis Aveiro. He is the youngest of four children. He has an older brother named Hugo and two older sisters named Katia and Elma.

Named after the late president of the United States Ronald Reagan, Cristiano Ronaldo Dos Santos Aveiro would also rise to the world spotlight, only he would make his name on the pitch and not politics.

Cristiano had shown an early love for football and with encouragement from his father Jose Dinis he was willingly enrolled at the Andorinha Football club in Madeira. With his relentless drive to succeed and love of the sport, he excelled quickly and won many admirers at Andorinha Football club .

His talents did not go unnoticed, and by the age of Ten, the young Ronaldo made the transition to Madeira’s CD Nacional football club. CD Nacional is one of Madeira’s top clubs, along with CS Maritimo. One and a half years later, the manager of CD Nacional was in talks with Sporting Lisbon regarding Ronaldo’s future in the big city. Inspired in part by the club’s debt to the sum of 22,500 Euros owed to Sporting, as well as the desire to see Ronaldo further hone his talents, the Director of CD Nacional contacted Sporting regarding Cristiano’s transfer. Sporting Lisbon agreed to take a look at the young boy and offered to give him a tryout.

At age twelve, Cristiano boarded a plane to Lisbon and the Sporting camp for his much anticipated tryout. During the tryout, Ronaldo, who was the youngest player on the pitch left a very powerful impression on the trainers and was signed shortly there after.

Sporting had written off CD Nacional’s debt of 22,500 Euros which was the most they had paid for a boy of Ronaldo’s age. Sporting considered it a bargain, given the true raw talent in Ronaldo, and Ronaldo would not disappoint. Officially signed by Sporting Lisbon at the age of twelve, the young Ronaldo bid a teary eyed goodbye to his family and boarded a plane to Lisbon Portugal, where he would remain for the next six years.

Ronaldo admitted that he ‘cried a lot’ in those first weeks at Sporting. Although isolated and saddened by his new surroundings, Ronaldo shone on the pitch, impressing everyone who watched him play.

Trained by one of the worlds top football training environments at Sporting Lisbon, Ronaldo found the perfect place to let his natural talents shine. At the age of Seventeen, Ronaldo made his debut with Sporting Lisbon’s big club, SCP (Sporting Clube de Portugal) and was soon in the eye of other big club’s around Europe. One of those clubs being Manchester United. At the age of 18, Cristiano signed for Manchester United, and the rest is history.

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