Every game has its legends, someone who against all odds rises up above any circumstances, competition, and all other retrogressive factors. In football, the legend of our era is undoubtedly Cristiano Ronaldo. Anytime you watch Ronaldo play, you are in for a treat and you will surely enjoy yourself. Below are some of the facts that may shed more light on the greatest football genius of our time. Here are 25 amazing facts about Cristiano Ronaldo that you may not know about.

1. Ronaldo’s lengthy name

Many football fans only know him as Cristiano Ronaldo, however, when you dig deeper, you will find his name is a little longer. His actual name is Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro. You may have known that, but what you may not have known is he was named after Ronald Regan, a former U.S President who was greatly loved by Ronaldo’s father.

2. His 𝐛𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐡day and family background

Cristiano Ronaldo was 𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐧 on 5th February 1985. He was 𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐧 into a family of four as the last 𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐧. His father Jose, was a gardener and the footballer recollects his father was a heavy drinker. His mother, Maria was a cook and a cleaner, and she would work until late night so as to provide for her 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥ren and family.

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3. Little Bee

Growing up, Ronaldo didn’t have the catchiest of nicknames. He was referred to by two popular nicknames, ‘cry𝑏𝑎𝑏𝑦’ and ‘little bee’. The former was because he would more often than not cry if things didn’t go his way. When other kids would fight on the pitch, Ronaldo would result in tears as his favorite conflict resolution method. The latter nickname was because he was as quick as a bee when he was playing football. Very little has changed, as few would match his s𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁 and speed when he has the ball.

4. A friend in need

This one is not really about Ronaldo -at least not directly, but without this fact, you might never have heard about him.Ronaldo has accredited his success to Albert Fantrau. In his younger years, Albert was admitted to a football academy, however, he turned it down and Ronaldo was taken into the academy. When Ronaldo was asked Alfred why he refused the intake position, he simply responded, “You’re better than me.” The rest, as they say, is history.

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5. A clean body and a giving heart

Football today has been marked by stars who have inked their bodies in tattoos, from the likes of Dani Alves and Zlatan Ibrahimovic. However, Real Madrid star, Cristiano Ronaldo has no single tattoo on his body and doesn’t plan on having any in the foreseeable future.Above and beyond the aforementioned, Ronaldo is a devout blood donor. This could explain why he has no tattoos as the Red Cross guidelines stipulate that one should not donate blood at least four months after getting a tattoo.Moreover, CR7 has donated his bone marrow in a bid to help his teammate Carlos Martins’ son.

6. Studied in the University

Acquiring university education is the epitome for most people. However, Ronaldo has surpassed that and is now being studied at a university in Canada.Fourth-year sociology students at the University of British Columbia Okanagan study the life and career of Cristiano Ronaldo.

7. Workout regime

Beyond being a great footballer, Cristiano Ronaldo also has a great body that demands admiration both on and off the peach to fans and critiques alike. Ronaldo attributes his great body to the rigorous workout routine and the discipline to stick to it. He has allocated various workout routines on every day, apart from Tuesday, which is his rest day.A while back, reports had surfaced that Ronaldo does 3000 abs in a day, but he was categorical in saying that was nothing but malice and unsubstantiated rumors.

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8. World of the Year Honor

When you are Ronaldo, goals are the order of the day. But when you exceed all expectations, the world has recognized you. In 2008, he scored a whopping 42 goals and was awarded the FIFA World of the Year Honor.

9. Record pay

Cristiano has broken so many records, you might run out of your breath trying to count them all. However, one record that really sticks out as being the most highly paid football player at his age. In 2003, Cristiano was signed to Manchester United and was paid £ 12 million. After being signed up by Real Madrid, Ronaldo earns £ 365,000 per week, and the deal runs until 2021.

10. CR7 Museum

Turns out, having a course about you at a university isn’t quite enough. Ronaldo has a museum in Funchal that is dedicated to his life, career, rare photos, trophies, and awards that he has won over the years. What a great way to be reminded you’re the best than by a museum showcasing all your accomplishments.

11. Product promotion

As previously mentioned, Ronaldo has a great body that will either lead to envy or respect. Thus, countless brands are running towards him for endorsements.Some of the products that he has endorsed over time include Coca-Cola, Armani jeans, and underwear, Nike, Konami, Motorolla, KFC, Jacob & Co., Fly Emirates, Castrol, Herbalife and myriad more.

12. Richest player

In 2014, Ronaldo was ranked top of the list of the world’s highest-paid players. His gross earnings, from salaries, bonuses, off-field earnings and other incomes in 2014 were $ 73 million. In 2017, his annual income from various sources was $ 93 million.

13. Fans, haters, and critics

Despite his great accomplishments, there are many people that don’t like Cristiano Ronaldo. They say he is arrogant, aloof, and standoffish. In 2011, most CR7 critics were proved right as he made a comment that left fans, haters, and critics baffled. He claimed those who didn’t like him felt that way because he was too handsome, rich and talented than any other figure.

14. Golden Heart

Despite a rare negated comment every now and then, Ronaldo has got a good heart and the best interest of people at heart. He has in the past sold his golden boot so that he could donate the money to fund schools in Gaza for needy 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥ren. Furthermore, he joined FIFA’s 11 For Health Foundation in December 2012. The aim of the foundation is to create awareness amongst 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥ren from conditions such such HIV, obesity, Malaria, and drug addiction.

15. Yellow Card

In 2010 during the World Cup in South Africa, Portugal’s inaugural game was against Ivory Coast. During the game, Ronaldo was tackled by one of the opposing players. The argument that ensued moments later saw both players booked by the referee. The following day, Portugal contacted FIFA to retract the yellow card claiming Ronaldo was pulled into the argument. FIFA was adamant and retained the referee’s ruling, meaning the yellow card was still in effect.

16. Flying chairs

At the tender age of 14 years, Ronaldo was rather popular amongst the other kids. However, it may have gotten a little to his head, as he sprang a chair towards one of his teachers. The act led to his expulsion from the school. Luck must have been on his side as this was the time he credits to his turning point. His mother advised him to focus on football instead of causing trouble, which from what you can see today, he surely did follow his mothers advise.

17. Racing Heart

When Cristiano Ronaldo was a teenager at just 15 years, he was diagnosed with a racing heart. The condition could have potentially led him to hang his boots for good. Luckily for him, the condition was repaired through laser surgery. Life must have dealt him a good hand as the surgery was successful, and in a few days, he had recovered and was fit to go back to the pitch for practice.

18. Jumping Power

To be a great football player, there are certain things that you need to take into account. Aspects such as speed, flexibility, and jumping power. Cristiano Ronaldo jumps at 5G -for contextual purposes, G-force is the power it takes to jump, and Ronaldo shares his record with a cheetah. Yes, cheetah’s too, jump at 5G. Hows that for impressive!

19. Kick of a horse

If you think the jumping force is impressive, you should see how strong and fast his kick is. There have been reports of Ronaldo kicking the ball and hurting some fans. Some of the injuries include broken noses and broken wrists. While he may be impressive to watch up close, you may not want to be too close, or else, you might end up with a broken body part. But hey, it just might be worth it.

20. Legendary CR7

When you mention CR7, no one will confuse it with another brand. Cristiano Ronaldo has owned the number 7 jersey, and it’s evident he will not let it go soon.However, it might not have been so. When he joined Manchester, his jersey number was supposed to be 28. It may be odd sounding, but that’s right, we might have been saying CR28.Sir. Alex Furgerson insisted that Ronaldo takes up the jersey number 7, so he could fill in the shoes and work into the panache of his predecessors holding the same number such as Eric Cantona, George Best, and David Beckham.

21. Maria loves Madrid

It has emerged that Cristiano Ronaldo’s mother, Maria, had a hand in his moving to Madrid. Ronaldo’s mother is a big fan of Madrid and she may have given him a nudge to Spain.Furthermore, Madrid is closer to his mother and his roots rather than Manchester. And hey, what wouldn’t you do for your mother, especially if she has brought you with as much hardship as that Maria did.

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22. More broken records

By now, you should be used to CR7 breaking records. However, there is one more that is worth mentioning. When Ronaldo moved to Real Madrid, he was greeted by 80,000 fans at the Santiago Bernabeu.If you think it doesn’t get better than that, it surely does. The previous record holder was held by Argentinean superstar Diego Maradona, in 1984. The fans that came to receive Maradona were 75,000.Cristiano shuttered the record by a staggering 5,000 supporters.

23. Innaugral Puskas Award winner

The Puskas award was created in 2009 to reward the best goal of the year. Cristiano Ronaldo was the first to win the coveted award in 2009. He won the award after he scored an impressively bewildering goal against FC Porto during the semifinals of the Champions League. Second on the list was Barcelona’s Iniesta, followed by Wolfsburg’s Grafite.

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24. Family man

Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the greatest players on the pitch, off the pitch, while he is not modeling or endorsing a product, Ronaldo is a proud father of four and husband to Georgina Rodriguez. There is still some level of uncertainty regarding his first𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐧 Cristiano Jr. The controversy lies with the identity of the mother, which is the source of controversy for fans and critiques alike. Some claim the son was as a result of a surrogate mother, while others think it was a waitress he briefly dated at the time.

25. Poker Face

When Ronaldo holds on to the ball, it is hard to tell what direction or angle he will use. Allegedly, the same lies for his poker s𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁s, which are supposedly legendary. The allegations may not be fully substantiated, but from the number of poker sites that have chosen to display his image as PokerStars, very little can be left to imagination.

The Important Take Away

Each era has its superstar, and there is no doubt Ronaldo is the star in this era. Some, however, may argue that Lionel Messi is the greatest player of the time. The two have been locked at loggerheads for the longest time, and while each person may be subjective as to which player is the best, it is easy to read the stats.

Ronaldo still has a long way to go, and you can still expect him to thrill, whether at Real Madrid on the club level, or even lead Real Madrid to another UEFA championship, or perhaps even win the FIFA World Cup with Portugal. Cristiano Ronaldo is a star that will shine beyond his time.

Source: greatperformersacademy.com