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When one is tasked to make a list of the most significant Portugal sports icons, it is almost impossible to omit the name of Cristiano Ronaldo. Highly regarded as the best football player in the world today, Ronaldo joins the likes of Eusebio, Aguas, and Matateu in the list of legendary Portuguese football players. At only 24 years of age, he has already collected numerous accolades in his name as he continues his growth not only as a football player, but as a person as well.
Ronaldo was born in Funchal, Madeira, Portugal on February 5, 1985. Named Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro, he was given the second name “Ronaldo” by his father as a tribute to his favourite actor, then-president of the US Ronald Reagan.
At the tender age of 10, Ronaldo was already a regular figure in the first team of local club Nacional. This was where the boy would cut his football teeth. After winning the title with the club, he was signed by Sporting CP for an undisclosed sum. In the summer of 2003, Sporting played Manchester United in an exhibition match and this was where he was spotted by United manager Sir Alex Ferguson.
Manchester United had no idea that they were signing a future Portugal sports icon. Ronaldo was given the famous number 7 shirt of United, which was previously worn by the likes of David Beckham, Eric Cantona, Bryan Robson, and George Best. Surely, he had very big shoes to fill. Ronaldo scored his debut goal for United in November 1 of 2003. After netting 10 goals in all competitions, the then-19-year-old was voted as FIFPro Special Young Player of the Year for 2005.
Ronaldo claimed his first piece of English silverware when his club won the FA Cup in 2004. This marked the beginning of an era as it was followed by triumphs in the English League Cup (2006 & 2009), the UEFA Champions League (2008), and the Premier League (2007 & 2008). These championships were accompanied by a multitude of personal awards that including the Portuguese Player of the Year (2005 & 2006), BPL Player of the Season (2007 & 2008), FIFA World Player of the Year (2008), and the much-coveted Ballon d’Or (2008), among other awards.
Today, Cristiano Ronaldo has definitely established himself as one of the most popular Portugal sports icon in history. His accomplishments have also made him the most expensive player not only in Portugal, but in the world. After a highly-publicized failure to sign Ronaldo last summer, Spanish outfit Real Madrid are reportedly going to try again once this summer’s transfer window opens with an initial bid of over £70 million—a price tag reserved only for one of the best Portugal sports icons.
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