Country: Portugal
Club: Manchester United
Position: Forward
Age: 37
Portugal football legend Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro considered to be the greatest football player of all time.
In his career, he has won 32 trophies, including the UEFA European Championship, five UEFA Champions Leagues, and seven league championships. Ronaldo has the records for most Champions League appearances (183), goals (140), and assists (42) as well as the most international goals (117) and appearances by a European player (14) and European Championship goals (14). (189). He is one of the select few athletes with over 1,100 career appearances in the professional sphere and over 800 senior-level goals for club and country.
Ronaldo, one of the most marketable and well-known players in the world, was named the highest-paid athlete in the world by Forbes in 2016.
Ronaldo became the first Portuguese player to join Manchester United when his transfer was finalised on August 12, 2003, just in time for their season-opening match against Bolton Wanderers but too late for the 2003 FA Community Shield.
He was the most expensive teenager in English football history at the time thanks to his transfer cost.
Although he asked for the number 28, which was his Sporting jersey number, he was given the squad number 7, which had previously been used by stars like George Best, Eric Cantona, and David Beckham while playing for Manchester United.
On August 16, 2003, Ronaldo made his Premier League debut as a substitute in a 4-0 home victory over Bolton Wanderers. When he replaced Nicky Butt, he was greeted with a standing ovation.
On October 29, 2004, Ronaldo scored United’s one and only goal in a 4-1 loss to Middlesbrough, marking the club’s 1,000th Premier League goal.
In his 30th encounter of the campaign, Ronaldo scored his first goals in the quarterfinal round of the 2006–07 UEFA Champions League, scoring twice in a 7–1 victory over Roma.
He accumulated a number of personal accolades for the season as a result of his performances. He became the first player to win all four of the major PFA and FWA awards, including Footballer of the Year, Fans’ Player, Young Player, and Player of the Year, from the Professional Footballers’ Association.
During the 2007–08 season, Ronaldo had a total of 42 goals scored across all competitions, making it his most productive year while playing in England.
Beginning with the 2015–16 season, Ronaldo’s seventh at Real Madrid, he surpassed all other scorers in club history, first in league play and subsequently throughout all competitions. His five goals in a 6-0 victory over Espanyol on the road on September 12 brought his La Liga total to 230 goals in 203 games, breaking Ral’s previous record for the team.
After finishing the previous season tied with Messi on 77 goals, Ronaldo also passed Messi to become the all-time leading scorer in the Champions League with a hat trick against Shakhtar Donetsk in the first group game.
100 Premier League goals and team challenges from 2021 to the present
Ronaldo made his second Old Trafford debut on September 11 by scoring the first two goals in a 4-1 league victory over Newcastle United. Ronaldo passed Iker Casillas as the player with the most appearances in the Champions League on September 29, scoring a last-second winner in United’s 2-1 win over Villarreal at home. On December 2, Ronaldo scored twice in a 3-2 home league victory over Arsenal, passing 800 goals at the highest level.
The Football Association of the Czech Republic contends that Josef Bican scored 821 goals, but it is widely accepted that he holds the record for most goals scored in professional football.
With seven goals, Ronaldo was Portugal’s second-highest scorer in their FIFA World Cup qualification group.
