Some gifted children never live up to the expectations they arouse. Cristiano Ronaldo has. Best known as one of the brightest, best and most outspoken wingers in football, Ronaldo began his career at just seventeen years old. He started in the youth leagues and then moved to Sporting Lisbon in 2002. In just one year with the team, he turned heads and opened the pocket of one of England’s Premier League teams, Manchester United. He cost Manchester an estimated £12m on their list, but the young player proved he was worth it.
In the next six seasons, Ronaldo made 292 appearances for the Manchester club. In those matches he managed to score one hundred and eighteen goals. Of course, his natural flamboyance earned him such endearing accolades as “monstrous ego” and “smug.” Ronaldo shrugged off any implied criticism. After all, whatever he did, he was working and working well. So well that, in 2008, he scored 42 goals for Manchester United and earned the title of FIFA World Player of the Year.
Cristiano played for the Portugal team at EURO 2004 and 2008 and the 2006 FIFA World Cup. The fame he gained in Manchester and his success with the National Team were likely the catalysts that set in motion Real Madrid’s record-breaking bid for Cristiano Ronaldo in June 2009. The Spanish club reportedly paid a fee of €94 million (about $132 USD) to acquire Ronaldo from Manchester.
Since joining Real Madrid to the thunderous applause of fans, Ronaldo has been slow to add to his team’s accomplishments. Between injuries and then temporary commitments with the National Team, he missed both games in the Champions League group stage with Madrid. Then in December he was sent off for the first time in his Madrid career. In the same match, he also missed a penalty kick and was later booked for removing his shirt in a celebration and later kicking an opponent. Still, it seems that the board is waiting for his star to rise again, and this time to shine at Real Madrid.
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