10 Facts About Cristiano Ronaldo, The Player to Look Out for This World Cup


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Ronaldo is arguably in the best form of his life right now, seeing how he just wrapped up his third Champions league trophy in a row and is currently lighting up the World Cup with a whopping 4 goals in 2 matches (so far).

Image: Antonio Scorza / Shutterstock.com

Oh, wait, Wrong Ronaldo.

Image: Marcos Mesa Sam Wordley / Shutterstock.com

Ah, that’s better.

Now, it makes you wonder what this man cannot do, despite being an astonishing…

1. 33 years old

I’m not kidding; Cristiano, despite looking, playing and sprinting like a prime 26-year-old, turned 33 earlier on 5 Feb this year.

And while most, save a few exceptional ones, fizzle out when they hit their thirties (just look at Rooney), Ronaldo only seems to go strength to strength as he looks to achieve his …

2. Third consecutive FIFA Ballon d’Or

That’s right; Ronaldo’s gunning for his third consecutive Ballon d’Or (sixth in total) this year.

Lest you’re unaware, a Ballon d’Or is an annual football award presented by France Football, and it’s widely considered as the highest accolade a footballer could possibly receive.

As such, Ronaldo currently stands tied with Argentinian footballer Lionel Messi at 5 Ballon d’Ors each, though if the Portugese keeps up his red hot form…

There might just be a solo winner in terms of Ballon d’Ors won.

And just for the record, Ronaldo and Messi top the list for Ballon d’Or wins; the third is Michel Platini, who won three consecutive Ballon d’Ors for his exceptional performances with Juventus.

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Image: Facebook (Mick Price)

3. Staying true to his roots

Having won practically everything that football has to offer, Ronaldo might come off as stand-offish, even arrogant on the field, which is a fair sentiment to make considering how he’s a self-driven and natural leader with the ball. But it seems that that particular exterior’s just… well… that.

His on the field persona.

Off the field, however, Ronaldo appears to be an essentially good man. He doesn’t drink alcohol (perhaps attributed to the fact that his dad died of an alcoholism-related liver condition at the age of 52), and doesn’t sport tattoos (apparently because it affects blood donation procedures, which he goes for frequently).

Image: Ronaldo CR7

He also has a knack for philanthropy, having donated to charities and natural disaster causes on a regular basis. One notable case happened in November 2012, when the footballer sold the golden boot he had won in 2011 for €1.5 million (about SGD$2.38 million), and gave it all to fund schools for children in Gaza.


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But like many accomplished individuals, Ronaldo is not without his fair share of controversies.

4. Sexual assault

In April 2017, a story published by Der Spiegel (based on leaked documents provided by Football Leaks) insinuated that Ronaldo had actually committed an alleged rape in 2009, and the alleged charges had only been dropped after a legal agreement and accompanying non-disclosure agreement.

While Ronaldo’s agent denied the accusations, Der Spiegel persisted, stating that text messages sent by Ronaldo revealed that he was actually aware of the legal negotiations. And if Der Spiegel was to be believed, the woman (alleged victim) actually received US$375,000 in the settlement.

Also, in July 2017, Ronaldo was said to have been charged with fraudulent evasion of almost €15 million (about SGD$23.8 million) in tax between 2011 and 2014, though the footballer denied the claims. In May 2018, Spanish tax authorities rejected Ronaldo’s settlement offer of €14 million (about SGD$22.2 million).

Subsequently, it was reported on 15 June (just before Ronaldo scored his phenomenal hat-trick against Spain) that Ronaldo had been sentenced to two years in jail (suspended) and fined €18.8 million (about SGD$29.8 million) after reaching a deal with Spanish authorities. On the same day, it’s believed that Ronaldo had actually spent millions in restitution regarding his past tax frauds to siam jail time.


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And that’s not all either, seeing how in June 2010, he effectively…

5. Bought his son

Alright granted; he didn’t literally buy his son, in the sense that he still biologically fathered the child and everything. But figuratively speaking, he did ‘buy’ his son, who’s named Cristiano Ronaldo Jr.

Image: Hola USA

While the identity of the mother was never publicly revealed, the story of how he came to be in this world isn’t exactly a well-kept secret. It’s reported that back in his Manchester United days, Ronaldo had a fling with an American waitress, and the one-night stand was an effective homerun (he can really shoot well, eh?).

After the woman realised that she was pregnant (with his child), she attempted to contact Ronaldo via his agent, Jorge Mendes. She was subsequently requested to do a DNA test, which confirmed the child as his.

However, because she was a Catholic, abortion was out of the question. As such Ronaldo took full responsibility for the child, though he supposedly paid her 10 million pounds (about SGD$18 million) to do so. In return, however, she had to keep her identity a secret, as well as to never contact the child.

Despite the deal, it seems that the woman, whom according to rumours is studying in Britain, is keen on getting in touch with her son. This is despite the fact that Cristiano Ronaldo Jr. was told that his mother has ‘passed away’.


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6. Romantic relationships

Despite his ‘playboy’ and ‘ladies’ man’ reputation, Ronaldo has only publicly gone out with two women so far, the first being Russian beauty Irina Shayk.

Image: El Pais

Having met on set of an Armani photoshoot in 2010, they were together for five years before splitting up early 2015. The reason? Ronaldo had supposedly been secretly messaging girls all around the world.

The second woman, and the one he’s currently dating, is none other than Spanish model Georgina Rodriguez.

Image: Voice Of Nigeria

The former Gucci employer is believed to have caught the eye of Ronaldo in the VIP area of a Dolce & Gabbana event, and things just kind of took off from there. It took months, however, before the relationship developed into a public one.

Despite having been together for less than two years, the pair already have a baby girl, called Alana Martina.


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Image: yabaleftonline.ng

Apart from Jr. and Alana, Ronaldo has another two children, a pair of twins. They are believed to have been conceived via a surrogate mother.

7. Record breaker

Ronaldo is also a consistent record breaker, and I’m not talking about his forays off the pitch.

Just look at the monstrous amount of accolades and achievements the Portugese has accumulated over his entire footballing career:

  • Most (FIFA) Ballon d’Or awards: 5 (2008, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017) (shared with Lionel Messi)
  • Most World Soccer Player of the Year awards: 5 (2008, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017)
  • Most IFFHS World’s Best Top Goal Scorer awards: 4 (2013, 2014, 2016, 2017)
  • The most expensive footballer in history: 2009–2013[606]
  • Most FIFA Club World Cup or Intercontinental Cup (football) trophies: 4 (shared with Toni Kroos)
  • Top goalscorer in the history of FIFA Club World Cup or Intercontinental Cup (football): 7 goals (shared with Pelé)[607]
  • Most FIFA Club World Cup final goals: 4 (shared with Lionel Messi)
  • Only player to have scored at three FIFA Club World Cup tournaments: 2008, 2016, 2017 (shared with Lionel Messi)
  • Only player to score a hat-trick in a FIFA Club World Cup or Intercontinental Cup final (in 2016; shared with Pelé)
  • Most appearances in the FIFPro World XI: 11 times (2007–2017) (shared with Lionel Messi)[608]
  • Only player who has scored in 8 consecutive major international tournaments: the 2004, 2008, 2012 and 2016 editions of the European Championship; and the 2006, 2010, 2014 and 2018 editions of the World Cup[609]
  • First footballer to reach 40 goals in a professional league for two consecutive seasons[610]
  • Only player to score 50 goals or more in six different seasons (done consecutively)
  • Only player to score 50 goals or more in 7 consecutive calendar years
  • Only player in history to have scored 60 or more goals in a calendar year four times (consecutively from 2011 to 2014)

And I haven’t even breached the surface; he has numerous other records in regions that just make you go…

Image: Giphy

What have I been doing with my life?

8. Fashion sense

Being one of the most sought-after footballers in this generation (if not all time), his pretty boy good looks and ripped body have definitely made him a popular figure amongst women, men and children alike, but there’s one more thing that really makes him stand out from the crowd:

His fashion sense.

Image: Twocoms / Shutterstock.com

I mean, just look at this.


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Indeed, Ronaldo is not one to leave his fashion sense at home, and it seems that he wants to spread it to the world too. The footballer has his own clothing line called CR7 clothing, which can be browsed through via his website.

Read Also: Japan Bureau Gave Public Apology & Docked a Worker’s Pay ‘Coz He Left for Lunch 3 Mins Early

Image: theguardian.com

9. Social media star

It seems that Ronaldo is no stranger to the social media scene too. Just look at his Instagram account.

Image: cristiano Instagram

Geezus Pucking Christ. Granted, it might not be as high as Daryl Aiden Yow’s 101K (at current moment) but as far as I can tell there’s no Photoshopping involved on Ronaldo’s part though. So all’s good.

Additionally, the influencer side of Ronaldo has also regularly starred in commercials and modelling campaigns, which makes you wonder whether his post-retirement career could actually echo that of David Beckham’s.

Image: The42

Whichever it is, we know that he will probably succeed, seeing how he has the…

10. Drive, determination and mentality

Everyone knows that Ronaldo is phenomenal, but nobody bothers to check behind the scenes.

Granted, the footballer might have been gifted with a distinct footballing talent, but much of what he is today can actually be put down to one single thing:

Hard work.

But words can’t explain the mental tenacity this man possesses. As such, watch this video and gauge for yourself. Was he born to be Cristiano Ronaldo, one of the greatest football players to have walked the planet, or did he have to CREATE that very reality?

In fact, the man said it himself.

His drive and determination to succeed are essentially fuelled by a desire to be talked about alongside Pele and Diego Maradona once retiring.

And honestly speaking…

I would say he’s just about there, if not already.

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