Portuguese footballer, Cristiano Ronaldo, has celebrated his 34th birthday on Tuesday.
The Juventus forward is widely recognized as one of the greatest players to set foot on a football pitch.
We have gathered 10 things you should know about Cristiano Ronaldo.
- Cristiano Ronaldo’s father named him after American president Ronald Reagan who swapped his acting career for politics.
- Cristiano Ronaldo was expelled from school at the age of 14 for throwing a chair at his teacher.
- Cristiano Ronaldo started his career at his hometown club, Nacional, before moving to Sporting CP, where he made his Primeira Liga debut.
- Ronaldo’s £12.24 million move to Manchester United in 2003 made him the most expensive teenager in English football and the first-ever Portuguese player to play for Manchester United.
- Before coming to Manchester United, he had worn the number 28 jersey at Sporting Lisbon and wanted to wear the same number for the Red Devils but legendary manager, Alex Ferguson convinced him to wear the number 7 jersey.
- Cristiano Ronaldo’s Real Madrid presentation remains the most-attended one in world football. Over 80,000 people gathered at the Santiago Bernabeau in Madrid to welcome the Portuguese.
- Cristiano Ronaldo does not have any tattoos on his body as he donates his blood regularly.
- He was the captain of the Portuguese team that won Euro 2016, the nation’s first major international honour.
- Ronaldo has scored 675 career goals in 793 career games.
- He is the highest goal scorer in UEFA Champions League history, he has 121 goals.
