Talent without working hard is nothing.
Cristiano Ronaldo, full name Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro, is a Portuguese soccer player who currently plays as a forward for the Saudi club Al-Nassr and the Portugal national team, of which he is captain. He is a Euro 2016 champion and a Euro 2004 silver medalist. He has also participated in the World Cup in 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, and 2022, as well as the European Championship in 2008, 2012, and 2020.
Ronaldo began his club career at the age of 8, playing for the small club CF Andorinha. At the age of 10, he moved to one of the biggest clubs on the island of Madeira, Nacional, and in 1997, he joined the academy of Sporting CP. In 2003, he signed with Manchester United. In his first season, he helped the club win the FA Cup, and in the following years, he contributed to United’s three consecutive Premier League titles, two League Cups, the Community Shield, the Champions League, and the Club World Cup.
In 2003, he made his senior debut for the Portugal national team. Since then, he has made 196 appearances, scoring 118 goals, making him the most capped player and top goalscorer in Portugal’s history. In 2004, he helped the team win a silver medal at the European Championship. In 2008, he was appointed as the team’s captain, leading them to the quarterfinals of Euro 2008. Four years later, he helped the team win a bronze medal at Euro 2012, which was awarded to the tournament’s semi-final losers for the first time in history. In 2016, he helped Portugal win the European Championship, and a year later, he helped the team win a bronze medal at the Confederation Cup.
In 2009, he transferred to Real Madrid for a then-record fee of 94 million euros, and was greeted by over 80,000 fans at his official presentation at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium. With the Spanish club, he won 15 trophies: two La Liga titles, two Copa del Rey, two Spanish Super Cups, four Champions League titles, two UEFA Super Cups, and three Club World Cups. He is the club’s all-time top scorer with 450 goals, and holds the record for the most hat-tricks in a single La Liga season, with eight in the 2014/15 season. He is the only player to win five Ballon d’Or awards, and he has also won four European Golden Shoes.