Cristiano Ronaldo march

Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro,[2] OIH, (born 5 February 1985),[3] commonly known as Cristiano Ronaldo, is aPortuguese footballer who plays as a forward for Spanish La Liga club Real Madrid and who serves as captain of the Portuguese national team. Ronaldo became the most expensive footballer in history after moving from Manchester United to Real Madrid in a transfer worth £80 million (€93.9 million/$131.6 million). In addition, his contract with Real Madrid, in which he is paid €12 million per year, makes him one of the highest-paid footballers in the world,[4] and his buyout clause is valued at €1 billion as per his contract.[5]

Ronaldo began his career as a youth player for Andorinha, where he played for two years, before moving to C.D. Nacional. In 1997, he made a move to Portuguese giants Sporting Clube de Portugal. Ronaldo caught the attention of Manchester Unitedmanager Alex Ferguson, who signed him for £12.24 million (€15 million) in 2003. The following season, Ronaldo won his first club honour, the FA Cup.

Ronaldo was the first player to win all four main PFA and FWA awards, doing so in 2007. In 2008, Ronaldo won the Ballon d'Or.[6] He placed second in the Ballon d'Or in 2007, 2009, 2011 and 2012. He was awarded the European Golden Shoe in both 2008 and 2011. In 2008, he won three of the four main PFA and FWA trophies and was named the FIFPro Player of the Year,World Soccer Player of the Year, Onze d'Or, and the FIFA World Player of the Year.[7][8][9] In 2007 and 2008, Ronaldo was named FWA Footballer of the Year. Ronaldo was the inaugural winner of the FIFA Puskás Award in 2009.

Ronaldo is considered one of the best footballers in the world. He holds numerous former and current scoring records, including records for most goals scored in a season for Real Madrid, most goals scored per minute in La Liga, first top European league player to reach 40 goals in a single season in two consecutive years, fastest Real Madrid player to reach one hundred league goals, and the first player ever to score against every team in a single season in La Liga.[10] In January 2013, Cristiano Ronaldo scored his 300th club goal.[11][12]

Ronaldo is a Portuguese international and made his debut against Kazakhstan in August 2003. He has since participated in five major tournaments; UEFA Euro 2004, the 2006 FIFA World Cup, UEFA Euro 2008, the 2010 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2012. He scored his first international goal in the opening game of the Euro 2004 against Greece, in addition to helping Portugal reach the final. He took over the captaincy of the side in July 2008 and went on to captain Portugal to the semi-finals at the Euro 2012 and finished the competition as the joint best scorer with three goals. On 16 October 2012, Ronaldo won his 100th cap against Northern Ireland, making him the third highest capped player for Portugal and became the third youngest European to reach a century of international appearances.

Early life

Ronaldo was born in Santo António, a neighbourhood of Funchal, Madeira, the youngest child of Maria Dolores dos Santos Aveiro, a cook, and José Dinis Aveiro, a municipal gardener.[14] His second given name "Ronaldo" was chosen after then-U.S. president Ronald Reagan, who was his father's favourite actor. He has one older brother, Hugo, and two older sisters, Elma and Liliana Cátia.[3] His great-grandmother Isabel da Piedade was from Cape Verde.[15]

Club career

Early career

At the age of eight, Ronaldo played for amateur team Andorinha, where his father was the kit man. In 1995, Ronaldo signed with local club Nacional, and, after a title-winning campaign, he went on a three-day trial with Sporting CP, who subsequently signed him for an undisclosed sum.[16]

Sporting Clube de Portugal

Ronaldo joined Sporting's other youth players who trained at the Academia Sporting, the club's football academy, in Alcochete. He became the only player ever to play for Sporting's under-16, under-17, under-18, B-team, and the first team, all within one season.[17] He scored two goals in his league debut on 7 October 2002, which Sporting CP won 3–0 against Moreirense, while featuring for Portugal in the 2002 European Under-17 Championship.[18]

At the age of 15 Ronaldo was diagnosed with a racing heart, a condition that might have forced him to give up playing football. The Sporting staff were made aware of the condition and Ronaldo's mother gave her authorisation for him to go into hospital. While there, he had an operation in which a laser was used to cauterise the area of his heart that was causing the problem. The surgery took place in the morning and Ronaldo was discharged from hospital by the end of the afternoon; he resumed training only a few days later.[19]

In November 2002, Ronaldo was invited to Arsenal's training ground, London Colney to meet manager Arsène Wenger and his coaching staff.[20] Wenger, who was interested in signing the midfielder had arranged to meet Ronaldo's representatives, Formation (who suggested the player originally to Gérard Houllier, then Liverpool's manager) in the subsequent months to discuss a transfer arrangement.[21] However he came to the attention of Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson in the summer of 2003, when Sporting defeated United 3–1 in the inauguration of the Estádio José Alvalade in Lisbon. Ronaldo's performance impressed the Manchester United players, who urged Ferguson to sign him.[22] Ronaldo was offered to Barcelona for less than the €15 million Manchester United paid, but the Catalan club could not afford him at the time as the club had already spent its budget on other players.[23]

On April 2013, Ronaldo was honoured by Sporting as the club announced that the player had become their 100,000th member.

Manchester United

2003–2006

Ronaldo became Manchester United's first-ever Portuguese player when he signed for €15 million[25] (£12.24 million) after the 2002–03 season.[26] He requested the number 28 (his number at Sporting), as he did not want the pressure of living up to the expectation linked to the number 7 shirt, which had previously been worn by players such as George Best, Bryan Robson, Eric Cantona, and David Beckham. "After I joined, the manager asked me what number I'd like. I said 28. But Ferguson said 'No, you're going to have No. 7,' and the famous shirt was an extra source of motivation. I was forced to live up to such an honour."[27]

Ronaldo made his team debut as a 60th-minute substitute in a 4–0 home victory over Bolton Wanderers. He scored his first goal for Manchester United with a free kick in a 3–0 win over Portsmouth on 1 November 2003. Ronaldo ended his first season in English football by scoring the opening goal in United's 3–0 FA Cup final victory over Millwall.[28]

He scored United's 1000th Premier League goal on 29 October 2005 in a 4–1 loss to Middlesbrough.[29] He scored ten goals in all competitions, and fans voted him to his first FIFPro Special Young Player of the Year award in 2005.

He was sent off in the Manchester derby at the City of Manchester Stadium on 14 January 2006 (a game which United lost 3–1) for kicking City's former United player Andrew Cole.

2006–2009

The 2006–2007 season proved to be the breakout year for Ronaldo, as he broke the 20 goal barrier for the first time and picked up his first league title with Manchester United.

In November and December 2006, Ronaldo received consecutive Barclays Player of the Month honours, becoming only the third player in Premier League history to do so after Dennis Bergkamp in 1997 and Robbie Fowler in 1996.[32][33] He scored his 50th Manchester United goal against city rivals Manchester City on 5 May 2007 as United claimed their first Premier League title in four years, and he was voted into his second consecutive FIFPro Special Young Player of the Year award at the end of the year.

Despite rumours circulating in March 2007 that Real Madrid were willing to pay an unprecedented €80 million (£54 million) for Ronaldo,[34] he signed a five-year, £120,000-a-week (£31 million total) extension with United on 13 April, making him the highest-paid player in team history.

Ronaldo amassed a host of personal awards for the season. He won the PFA Players' Player of the Year and PFA Young Player of the Year awards, joining Andy Gray (in 1977) as the only players to receive this honour.[37] In April, he completed the treble by winning thePFA Fans' Player of the Year. He also won the PFA Fans' Player of the Year and the FWA Footballer of the Year, becoming the first player to win all four main PFA and FWAawards. Ronaldo was also one of eight Manchester United players named in the 2006–07 PFA Premier League Team of the Year.

Ronaldo's 2007–08 season began with a red card for a headbutt on Portsmouth player Richard Hughes during United's second match of the season, for which he was punished with a three-match ban.[38] Ronaldo said he had "learned a lot" from the experience and would not let players "provoke" him in the future.[39] After scoring the only goal in a Champions League away match against Sporting, Ronaldo also scored the injury-time winner in the return fixture as Manchester United topped their Champions League group.[40]

He finished as the runner-up to Kaká for the 2007 Ballon d'Or,[41] and was third in the running for the FIFA World Player of the Year award, behind Kaká and Lionel Messi.[42]

Ronaldo scored his first hat trick for Manchester United in a 6–0 win against Newcastle United at Old Trafford on 12 January 2008, bringing Manchester United up to the top of the Premier League table.[43] He scored his twenty-third league goal of the season in a 2–0 win againstReading, equalling his entire total for the 2006–07 season.[44] During a 1–1 Champions League first knockout round draw against Lyon on 20 February, an unidentified Lyon supporter continuously aimed a green laser at Ronaldo and United teammate Nani, prompting an investigation by UEFA.[45] One month later, Lyon were fined CHF5,000 (£2,427) for the incident.[46]

On 19 March 2008, Ronaldo captained United for the first time in his career in a home win over Bolton, scoring both goals in the 2–0 victory.[47]The second of the goals was his 33rd of the campaign, which set a new club single-season scoring record by a midfielder and thus topped George Best's forty-year-old total of 32 goals in the 1967–68 season.[48] Ronaldo scored another brace in a 4–0 win over Aston Villa on 29 March, which at the time gave him 35 goals in 37 domestic and European matches as both a starter and substitute. Ronaldo's scoring streak was rewarded with his becoming the first winger to win the 2007–08 European Golden Shoe, finishing eight points ahead of Mallorca's Dani Güiza.

In the 2007–08 Champions League final on 21 May against league rivals Chelsea, Ronaldo scored the opening goal after 26 minutes, which was negated by a Chelsea equaliser in the 45th minute as the match ended 1–1 after extra time. His misfire in the penalty shoot-out put Chelsea in position to win the trophy, but John Terry shot wide right after slipping on the pitch surface, and Manchester United emerged victorious 6–5 on penalties. Ronaldo was named the UEFA Fans' Man of the Match,[51] and wrapped up the campaign with a career-high 42 goals in all competitions, falling four short of Denis Law's team-record mark of 46 in the 1963–64 season. In the Champions League he was also named best forward and player of the tournament and was the competition's top goalscorer.

On 5 June 2008, Sky Sports reported that Ronaldo had expressed an interest in moving to Real Madrid if they offered him the same amount of money the team had allegedly promised him earlier in the year.[52] Manchester United filed a tampering complaint with FIFA on 9 June over Madrid's alleged pursuit of Ronaldo, but FIFA declined to take any action.[53][54] Speculation that a transfer would happen continued until 6 August, when Ronaldo confirmed that he would stay at United for at least another year.[55]

Ronaldo underwent ankle surgery at the Academic Medical Center in Amsterdam on 7 July.[56] He returned to action on 17 September in United's goalless UEFA Champions League group stage draw with Villarreal as a substitute for Park Ji-Sung,[57] and scored his first goal of the season in a 3–1 League Cup third round win over Middlesbrough on 24 September.

In a 5–0 win over Stoke City on 15 November 2008, Ronaldo scored his 100th and 101st goals in all competitions for Manchester United, both from free kicks.[58] The goals also meant that Ronaldo had now scored against each of the other 19 teams in the Premier League at the time.[59]On 2 December, Ronaldo became Manchester United's first Ballon d'Or recipient since George Best in 1968. He finished with 446 points, 165 ahead of runner-up Lionel Messi.[60] He was awarded the Silver Ball after finishing with two goals as United won the Club World Cup on 19 December.[61]

On 8 January 2009, Ronaldo was uninjured in a single-car accident in which he wrote off his Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano in a tunnel along the A538near Manchester Airport. A breathalyser test he gave to police officers at the scene was negative, and he attended training later that morning.[62]Four days later, he became the first Premier League player ever to be named the FIFA World Player of the Year, in addition to being the first Portuguese player to win the award since Luís Figo in 2001.[63]

Ronaldo scored his first Champions League goal of the season, and first since the final against Chelsea, in a 2–0 victory over Internazionale that sent United into the quarter-finals.[64] In the second leg against Porto, Ronaldo scored a 40-yard game-winning goal as United advanced to the semi-finals. For this goal Ronaldo holds the distinction of being the first player to win the FIFA Puskás Award, in 2009, an honour handed by FIFA to the best goal of the year.[65] He later called it the best goal he had ever scored.[66][67] Ronaldo participated in his second consecutive Champions League final, but made little impact in United's 2–0 loss to Barcelona. He finished with 53 appearances in all competitions, which was four higher than the previous year, but scored sixteen fewer goals (26) than his career-best total of 42 from the previous season.

On 11 June, Manchester United accepted an unconditional offer of £80 million from Real Madrid for Ronaldo after it was revealed that he again had expressed his desire to leave the club.[68] It was confirmed by a representative of the Glazer family that the sale was fully condoned by Ferguson.[69] When Ronaldo had eventually completed his transfer to Real, he expressed his gratitude towards Ferguson for helping him develop as a player, saying, "He's been my father in sport, one of the most important factors and most influential in my career.

Real Madrid

2009–10 season

On 26 June 2009, Real Madrid confirmed that Ronaldo would join the club on 1 July 2009 from Manchester United for £80 million (€93.9 million) becoming the most expensive footballer in history,[72] after agreeing terms and signing a six-year contract.[73] Ronaldo's contract is worth €11 million per year[4] and it has a €1 billion buy-out clause.[74] He was presented to the world media as a Real Madrid player on 6 July,[75] where he was handed the number 9 jersey.[76] The shirt was presented to him by Madrid legend Alfredo Di Stéfano.[77] Ronaldo was welcomed by between 80,000 and 85,000 fans at his presentation at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, surpassingDiego Maradona's record of 75,000 fans when he was presented in Italy, after he was transferred from Barcelona to Napoli in 1984.[78][79] The event was broadcasted live on the Spanish and Portuguese public TV stations, RTVE and RTP respectively

Ronaldo made his Madrid debut on 21 July in a 1–0 win over Shamrock Rovers. His first goal came one week later with a penalty in Madrid's 4–2 win over LDU Quito.[82] On 29 August, Ronaldo capped his La Liga debut with a goal, scoring Real's second from the penalty spot in a 3–2 home win against Deportivo La Coruña.[83] On 15 September, Ronaldo scored two free-kicks in a 5–2 away victory over Zürich, his first Champions League goals for Real.[84] He broke a Madrid club record when he scored in a league match againstVillarreal and thus became the first ever player to score in his first four La Liga appearances.[85]

An ankle injury suffered on 10 October, while Ronaldo was on international duty with Portugal against Hungary,[86] kept him out until 25 November, which in turn caused him to miss both of Madrid's Champions League group stage matches against Milan. Ronaldo made his first post-injury start in a 1–0 El Clásico defeat to Barcelona on 29 November. On 6 December, he was sent off for the first time in his Madrid career in Madrid's 4–2 victory against Almería, a match which also saw him miss a penalty. He was carded first for removing his shirt during a goal celebration, then for kicking out at an opponent three minutes later.[87] He was second in the 2009 FIFA World Player of the Year award and also second in the 2009 Ballon d'Or award. On 5 May 2010 Ronaldo scored his first Real Madrid hat-trick in an away game against Mallorca. Ronaldo and Gonzalo Higuaín scored 53 league goals during the course of the season and became Real's highest scoring league duo in their history.[88] Ronaldo ended his first season at Real Madrid by ending at second place in the 2009–10 La Liga with 96 points, reaching Round of 16 in the 2009–10 UEFA Champions League, and the Round of 32 in the 2009–10 Copa del Rey.

2010–11: Copa del Rey winner

With the departure of Raúl during the summer of 2010, Ronaldo was handed the No. 7 jersey for Real Madrid.[89] On 23 October 2010, Ronaldo scored four goals against Racing de Santander,[90] the most goals he has ever scored in a single match.[91] This completed a goalscoring run of six consecutive matches (three in La Liga, one in the Champions League, and two for Portugal) in which Ronaldo scored in each match, totalling 11 goals, which is the most Ronaldo has scored in a single month. Before Real Madrid's 5–0 defeat by Barcelona at the Camp Nou, Ronaldo scored his second La Liga hat-trick of the season in a 5–1 win over Athletic Bilbao.[92] His final match of the calendar year saw him score a hat-trick in a 8–0 trashing of Levante in the Copa del Rey.

Ronaldo began the 2011 with a very promising outlook, especially after Real Madrid acknowledged he had broken numerous goalscoring records, previously settled and held by classic players such as Alfredo Di Stéfano, Hugo Sánchez, and Manuel Alday.[94][95] Ronaldo began his scoring spree by scoring two vital goals in a tight 3–2 victory away to Getafe.[96] He then consolidated his massive performances by scoring a hat-trick and assisting Kaká to score his first league goal after his return from injury, in a 4–2 victory overVillarreal on 9 January. One game away from the middle of the season, Ronaldo had a very clear chance of breaking Telmo Zarra's andHugo Sánchez's record of 38 League goals in a single season, since he was the league's top scorer with 22 goals, above Lionel Messi.[97][98] However, shortly after, Ronaldo experienced the biggest goal drought in his entire career, scoring only 2 goals in more than a month. During this period, Real Madrid acknowledged to have hit the crossbar more than 12 times in the season, most of the shots belonging to Ronaldo and almost all having happened during crucial moments in drawn matches.[99] Ronaldo then made a massive comeback by scoring a hat-trick in a 7–0 trashing of Málaga on 3 March 2011, but was affected by a muscle injury at the end of the match, which forced him to spend 10 days on the sidelines.

In April he made another massive comeback from injury, sustaining a three-game scoring streak (including 2 goals in Champions Leaguequarter-finals against Tottenham Hotspur), thus arriving to the first of a historical series of four El Clásico encounters two goals short of breaking his personal record of 42 goals in all competitions in a single season, achieved at Manchester United in the 2007–08 season.

During the second league edition of El Clásico, Ronaldo scored from the penalty spot and took his tally to 41 goals, also taking his scoring streak to four games. On 20 April, Ronaldo scored the winning goal against Barcelona in the 103rd minute of the Copa del Rey final.[100] This goal would later be chosen as both Ronaldo's and Real Madrid's best goal in the season by several fan polls, including those of Marca[101] and Real Madrid's website.[102] 7 May saw Real travel to the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán to take on Sevilla, where Ronaldo led the thrashing of a woeful Andalusian side, scoring four goals in a 6–2 victory. These four goals took him to 46 for the season which surpassed his previous record of 42 in a season playing for Manchester United.[103] Three days later he reached 49 goals for the season, by scoring another hat-trick in a 4–0 home win against Getafe. On 15 May, after scoring two free-kick goals in a 3–1 win overVillarreal, he equalled the La Liga record with most goals in a season with 38, a record previously held by Telmo Zarra and Hugo Sánchez.

On 21 May, he scored two goals in the last league match of the season against Almería, taking his Pichichi total to 41, and La Liga total to 40, becoming the only player to score 40 goals in a La Liga season. By doing this, he won the European Golden Shoe award once again, becoming the first player to win the trophy in two different leagues. The sports newspaper Marca, who awards the Pichichi Trophy, included the goal scored on 18 September 2010 against Real Sociedad in Ronaldo's goal count, which had been officially attributed to Pepe.[104] Should this goal be granted to Ronaldo, his goal count in the Pichichi Trophy would tally 41 goals. Ronaldo also broke Zarra's record of most goals per minute, with a goal scored every 70.7 minutes. However, regardless of this goal polemic, Ronaldo's record-breaking figures became a source of major attention from public media, such as being included in the Sports Illustrated World XI,[105] rating him as one of the world's best footballers. Accounting for all competitions, Ronaldo ended the season with a total of 53 goals (not granting him the controversial goal from Pepe), having scored 25 goals with his right foot (excluding free-kicks and penalty-kicks) and 9 with his left foot.[106]Ronaldo ended his second season at Real Madrid by winning the 2011–12 Copa del Rey, reaching the semi-finals in the 2010–11 UEFA Champions League, and second place in the 2010–11 La Liga with 92 points.

2011–12: La Liga champion

Real Madrid's pre-season began with a 4–1 victory over MLS team Los Angeles Galaxy,[108] with goals from Callejón, Joselu, Ronaldo, and Benzema.[109] Four days later Ronaldo scored a second half hat-trick in a 3–0 win against Guadalajara. Ronaldo's preseason performance was highly praised as world media kept hailing Ronaldo's extreme competitiveness and motivation, even during friendly matches. On 17 August 2011, Ronaldo scored his 100th goal with Real Madrid with a first-half equaliser againstBarcelona in the second leg of the 2011 Spanish Supercup in the Camp Nou. On 27 August 2011, he opened the 2011–12 La Liga season with a hat-trick in a 6–0 win at Real Zaragoza.

In the first weeks of September, Ronaldo's physical performance was subject to scrutiny by world media, after Castrol released atelevision film named Ronaldo: Tested to the Limit where he was put to test in several fields, including mental and physical. Conclusions from the movie and doctors in the weeks following claimed that Ronaldo was one of the best athletes in the world, excelling in football and outstanding in almost every other category.[citation needed] Several sources[weasel words] drew comparisons between him and other top athletes, including sprinter Usain Bolt.[citation needed] On 24 September, Ronaldo scored a hat-trick (including two penalties) in Real Madrid's 6–2 win over Rayo Vallecano at the Santiago Bernabéu. This was his ninth La Liga hat-trick and tenth hat-trick for Real Madrid.

On 27 September, Ronaldo scored Real's opening goal in a 3–0 victory over Ajax at the Santiago Bernabéu in the UEFA Champions League. On 22 October, after not scoring in his previous three games, Ronaldo scored his tenth La Liga hat-trick and eleventh in total for Real Madrid in a match away to Málaga, which Real Madrid won 4–0. His twelfth Real Madrid hat-trick followed on 6 November, in a 7–1 victory over Osasuna that ensured Madrid stayed top of the table heading into the international break.[110] On 19 November 2011, Ronaldo scored Real's second goal in a 2–3 defeat of Valencia. On 26 November 2011, Ronaldo scored two penalties in a 4–1 defeat of Atlético Madrid in the El Derbi madrileño. On 3 December 2011, Ronaldo scored Madrid's second goal in a 0–3 defeat of Sporting de Gijón in La Liga. He was one of the three finalists for the 2011 FIFA Ballon d'Or. On 13 December 2011, Ronaldo scored the second goal against SD Ponferradina in the first leg of the Copa del Rey Round 4, the match ended in a 0–2 win. On 17 December 2011, Ronaldo scored his twelfth La Liga hat-trick and thirteenth overall in a 6–2 win away to Sevilla.

Ronaldo was third in the 2010–11 UEFA Best Player in Europe Award, behind Lionel Messi and Xavi, and second in the 2011 FIFA Ballon d'Or, behind Lionel Messi and ahead of Xavi. In Real Madrid's next game in La Liga at home to Granada Ronaldo scored the fifth goal in a 5–1 win. He was notably criticised in the public media[who?] for not celebrating the goal. On 22 January 2012, Ronaldo scored two penalties in a 4–1 win over Athletic Bilbao, and on 28 January scored Real Madrid's second and winning goal in a 3–1 win against Zaragoza. Ronaldo also scored two goals against Barcelona in the Copa del Rey Quarter-finals, which Real lost 4–3 on aggregrate. On 12 February 2012, Ronaldo scored a hat-trick, his thirteenth in La Liga and fourteenth for Real Madrid, in a 4–2 home win over Levante. This win stretched Real Madrid's lead over second-placed Barcelona to 10 points.

On 24 March 2012, Ronaldo reached more than 100 goals in La Liga in just three season at Real Madrid when he scored the first of his two goals in the match against Real Sociedad, the second quickest La Liga player to reach that milestone in the league after Isidro Lángara, reaching the milestone in 92 matches and breaking the previous club record held by Puskás.[111] As of 24 March 2012, Ronaldo had averaged 1.01 goals per game in La Liga.

On 11 April, Ronaldo scored a hat-trick against Atletico Madrid in a 1–4 win, as well as assisting the last goal. His hat-trick, one goal from a free kick, one from 30 yards on the left wing and one penalty, gave him 40 league goals in the season, making him the only player in La Liga history, or in any other major European league, to score 40 goals in two seasons, even doing so in consecutive seasons. Ronaldo officially broke his previous record of 40 goals in a La Liga season on 14 April, scoring in a 3–1 win against Sporting Gijón.

On 13 May 2012, the last matchday, Ronaldo scored against Mallorca which made him the first player ever to score against every team in a single season in La Liga.[10] He finished the season with a total of 46 league goals and 60 goals in every competition, breaking the Real Madrid record he had set the previous season. Ronaldo ended his third season at Real Madrid by winning the 2011–12 La Liga with 100 points, runner-up in the 2011 Supercopa de España, reaching the semi-finals in the 2011–12 UEFA Champions League, and the quarter-finals in the 2011–12 Copa del Rey. Ronaldo claimed that he believed that he had played better than Lionel Messi this season,[112] and on 13 June, he won the Trofeo Alfredo Di Stefano as the best La Liga player of the season.

2012–13 season

AS reported that Manchester City president Sheikh Mansour made a bid for Ronaldo for £200 million in the summer. The deal would have made Ronaldo the world's best-paid footballer, with a salary that would be around £20 million per year. However, Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez turned it down, who pointed to Ronaldo's contract clause of £1000 million.[114]

Ronaldo started the season by lifting the Supercopa de España with Real Madrid, scoring two goals in a 4–4 away goals aggregate win against Barcelona. The goal in the first leg made him the first Madrid player in the history of El Clásico to score for the fourth game in a row at the Camp Nou,[115] with the winning goal in the second leg, Ronaldo equalled the Real Madrid record of Iván Zamorano of scoring in five consecutive El Clásico matches.[116] Ronaldo was second (tied with Lionel Messi) in the 2011–12 UEFA Best Player in Europe Award, behind Iniesta.[117]

On 2 September 2012, Ronaldo scored his first league goal of the season in a 3–0 win over Granada, which was also his 200th career goal in league matches played in England, Spain and Portugal. He added another goal, which was his 150th goal for Real Madrid in all competitions in 149 matches played. This goal made him the 10th highest scorer for Real Madrid in all competitions. Ronaldo was substituted at the 63rd minute by team mate Higuaín, due to a minor thigh injury.[118]

After the match, Ronaldo claimed that he was unhappy with a "professional issue" after he refused to celebrate his 149th and 150th goals for the club.[119] Ronaldo's agent, Jorge Mendes, insisted that he always knew about his client's admission that he was unhappy with life at Real Madrid.[120] Ronaldo dismissed the notion that his post-match declaration of "sadness" was related to a desire for a new and improved contract at the club.[121] Real Madrid president, Florentino Pérez, claimed that Ronaldo did not want to leave the club, and that he is unhappy for other reasons.[122] Former Barcelona president, Joan Laporta, stated Ronaldo was under a lot of pressure and would not have realized the impact of his revelation.[123] When he returned to Real Madrid, after international duty, Ronaldo stated he is focused on achieving further success with the club.[124] Real Madrid coach José Mourinho stated "If Ronaldo is sad but plays like he does, that's perfect for me",[125] and believed that UEFA's decision to elect Iniesta as the best player in Europe in 2011–12 could have been one of the reasons behind Ronaldo's unhappiness

On 18 September, Ronaldo scored his first Champions League goal of the season in a 3–2 victory over Manchester City.[128]On 30 September, Ronaldo scored a hat-trick (including two penalties), his first La Liga hat-trick of the season, in a 5–1 win over Deportivo de La Coruña.[129][130] On 4 October, Ronaldo scored his first career hat-trick in Champions League as he led Real Madrid to a 4–1 victory over Ajax.[131] Continuing his fine form, he hit a brace the following week against Barcelona scoring both goals in a 2–2 draw at Camp Nou, which made him the first and only player to score in 6 consecutive El Clásico's.[132] Ronaldo than scored his fifth Champions League goal in a 2–1 away loss against Borussia Dortmund atSignal Iduna Park on 24 October, and a brace in the 5–0 away win against Mallorca on 28 October. On 11 November, Ronaldo started as a striker in a 2–1 away win over Levante, as both Benzema and Higuaín were injured.[133] In the match, he received an horrific elbow to the eye in the second minute, but scored his twelfth La Liga goal to give Madrid the lead, before being substituted at half-time.[134] For the injury, José Mourinho said: "He's dizzy. In the first half he was unable to see properly with that eye, but during the break he couldn't see properly with either. So it was impossible for him to continue."[135] This eventually led to him missing the Portugal squad for the friendly game against Gabon.[136] On 21 November, he appeared in Madrid's 1–1 Champions League group stage draw with Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium. The match represented the first time that Ronaldo played in Manchester since leaving City's rival, Manchester United, for Madrid in 2009.[137] On 1 December, after not scoring in his previous three games, Ronaldo scored a goal from a free-kick and assisted Özil to score the second goal, in a 2–0 victory over Atlético Madrid.[138] Ronaldo continued to score his sixth Champions League goal in a 4–1 home win against Ajax on 4 December, once against Celta Vigo in the first leg of a Copa del Rey game on 12 December, and once again in a 2–2 draw with Espanyol on 16 December.

In December 2012, French giants Paris Saint-Germain declared interest in signing Ronaldo,[139] however, Real Madrid announced the club will not sell Ronaldo and the club was working on an improved contract with a three-year extension, keeping him at the club until 2018.[140][141] In the same month, it was reported Ronaldo would reject the contract Madrid are preparing for him at the end of the season.[142] Ronaldo himself refused to discuss his long-term future at Real Madrid until he has helped the Spanish champions atone for their disappointing start to the season.[143][144] In April 2013, Florentino Pérez said Ronaldo's contract will be renewed,[145] and José Mourinho stated "when you have a player of his caliber, you must do everything within your power to hold on to him

On 6 January, in Madrid's first match of 2013, Ronaldo scored a brace to lift 10-man Real Madrid to a 4–3 victory over Real Sociedad.[148] The match represented the first time that Ronaldo captained Real Madrid in an official match,[149][150] but received his fifth yellow card of the season and was suspended for the team's next league game at Osasuna serving a one-game ban. This was the first time Ronaldo was suspended for an accumulation of yellow cards, having only previously missed games when being given a straight red card.[151] He was second in the 2012 FIFA Ballon d'Or, behind Lionel Messi and ahead of Iniesta. On 9 January, Ronaldo scored a hat-trick against Celta Vigo in the second leg of a Copa del Rey game.[152] On 14 January, Ronaldo insisted he want to complete his contract at Real Madrid – but admitted he does not know what the future holds for him beyond that.[153] Following a first leg victory over Valencia in the Copa del Rey on 15 January, he got into an argument with manager José Mourinho.[154][155] On 27 January, Ronaldo scored a perfect hat-trickagainst Getafe in a 4–0 win, including his 300th club goal.[156] On 30 January, against Barcelona in the Copa del Rey, Ronaldo made his 500th club appearances. He was the first not Spanish to captain Real Madrid in a Clásico in the last 60 years.[157] On 2 February, Ronaldo scored the first own goal of his career to send Real Madrid to a shock 1–0 defeat at Granada.[158] Ronaldo than scored another hat-trick the next week against Sevilla, his 21st hat-trick of his career and his 17th in La Liga.[159] Ronaldo faced his former club Manchester United for the first time on 13 February in the Champions League Round of 16 and scored the equaliser in a 1–1 draw at the Santiago Bernabéu.[160] On 26 February, Ronaldo scored twice against Barcelona in the second leg of the Copa del Rey Semi-finals, making this the sixth consecutive trip to the Camp Nou in which he had scored.[161] Ronaldo then scored the winning goal in a 2-1 victory against Manchester United on 5 March, which was his return toOld Trafford for the first time since his world-record £80 million move to Real Madrid in 2009.[162] After the game, Ronaldo stated he was "sad" and had a "strange feeling" after his goal knocked Manchester United out of the Champions League.[163][164] On 10 March, Ronaldo struck twice to send Real Madrid above city rivals Atlético into second place in La Liga.[165] The second goal, his 138 goal in La Liga, earned him a place in the top 25 goalscorers in the history of La Liga in just 127 games, recording an average of 1.08 goals per game, the highest of all the top 25 goalscorers.[166] On 16 March, Ronaldo scored the equaliser in a 5–2 victory against Mallorca, which was his 350 goal in his career.[166][167] On 3 April, Ronaldo scored the opening goal against Galatasaray in the first leg of the quarter-finals, which took Ronaldo ahead of Filippo Inzaghi to sixth in the Champions League goalscoring charts.[168] On 9 April, Ronaldo scored twice against Galatasaray to send Real Madrid to the semi-finals in the Champions League. With these goals, Ronaldo went ahead of Andriy Shevchenko to fifth in the Champions League goalscoring charts.[169] In April 2013, he was named by Marca as a member of the "Best foreign eleven in Real Madrid's history".[170]

Ronaldo picked up an injury to his leg thigh muscle while warming up for the UEFA Champions League semi-final first leg on 24 April, where he scored an away goal in a 4-1 loss against Borussia Dortmund.[171] He was absent from Real Madrid's next game against Atlético Madrid,[172] but returned to action on 30 April for the 2-0 second leg victory of the semi-finals in the Champions League against Dortmund (a 4–3 aggregate loss).[173]

International career

Ronaldo earned his first cap for Portugal in a 1–0 victory against Kazakhstan on 20 August 2003

Euro 2004

Ronaldo was called up for Euro 2004,[175] scoring his first international goal in a 2–1 group stage loss to eventual champions Greece[176]and scoring again in a 2–1 semi-final win over the Netherlands.[177] He was featured in the UEFA Euro All-Star Team of this competition, despite finishing with only two goals.[178] He also represented Portugal at the 2004 Summer Olympics.[179][180]

2006 World Cup

Ronaldo was the second-highest scorer in FIFA World Cup qualification in the European zone with seven goals,[178] and scored his firstWorld Cup goal against Iran with a penalty kick.[181]

During a quarter-final match against England on 1 July 2006, Ronaldo's United teammate Wayne Rooney was sent off for stamping on Portugal defender Ricardo Carvalho. The English media speculated that Ronaldo had influenced referee Horacio Elizondo's decision by aggressively complaining, after which he was seen in replays winking at the Portuguese bench following Rooney's dismissal. After the match, Ronaldo insisted that Rooney was a friend and that he was not pushing for Rooney to be sent off.[182] On 4 July, Elizondo clarified that the red card was due to Rooney's infraction and not the fracas between Rooney and Ronaldo that followed.[183]

The angry reaction from the English press caused Ronaldo to consider leaving United,[184] and he allegedly told Spanish sports daily Marca that he wished to move to Real Madrid.[185] In response to the speculation, Ferguson sent Portuguese assistant manager Carlos Queiroz to speak to Ronaldo in attempt to change his mind, a sentiment that was shared by Rooney.[186][187] Ronaldo stayed, and signed his new five-year extension in April 2007.[188]

Ronaldo was booed during Portugal's semi-final defeat to France,[189] and missed out on the competition's Best Young Player award due to a negative e-mail campaign from England fans.[190] Though the online vote only affected the nomination process, FIFA's Technical Study Group awarded the honour to Germany's Lukas Podolski, citing Ronaldo's behaviour as a factor in the decision.[191]

Post-World Cup

One day after his 22nd birthday, Ronaldo captained Portugal for the first time in a friendly against Brazil on 6 February 2007.[192] This move was in honour of Portuguese Football Federation president Carlos Silva, who had died two days earlier. Portugal coach Luiz Felipe Scolari explained, "Mr. Silva asked me to make [Ronaldo] captain as a gesture... [he] is too young to be captain, but Mr. Silva asked me, and now he is no longer with us.

Euro 2008

Ronaldo scored eight goals in Portugal's UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying campaign,[194] behind Poland's Ebi Smolarek, but finished with only one goal in the tournament as Portugal were eliminated in the quarter-finals with a 2–3 loss against Germany.[195] When Carlos Queiroz was named Portugal's new coach in July 2008,[196] he appointed Ronaldo as team captain.[197]

Ronaldo was named Man of the Match against the Czech Republic in Group A of the European championships.[198]

2010 World Cup

On 15 June 2010, in Portugal's opening World Cup match against Côte d'Ivoire, Ronaldo was tackled by right-back Guy Demel, which led to an argument and both being booked. The next day, Portugal contacted FIFA to suggest that Ronaldo's yellow card be rescinded since he was "pulled into" the confrontation after having already moved away from the spot where he was tackled, but the appeal was rejected.[199]

Ronaldo was named Man of the Match in all three of Portugal's Group G matches at the World Cup.[200][201][202] His only goal of the tournament came in Portugal's 7–0 group stage thrashing of North Korea on 21 June,[203] which marked his first international goal in 16 months.[204] Portugal were ultimately eliminated by Spain in the Round of 16.

Euro 2012

Ronaldo scored seven goals in Portugal's UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying campaign, including two strikes against Bosnia in the play-offs for the tournament, and finished behind Germany's Miroslav Klose and the Netherlands' Klaas-Jan Huntelaar (not including the play-offs round). Portugal were drawn in Group B with Netherlands, Denmark and Germany, which was widely referred to as the "group of death" of the tournament.[205] In an interview with Kicker Magazine, Ronaldo stated that "I will only be fully content with my career when I have lifted a trophy with Portugal

After the opening 0–1 defeat against Germany, Cristiano Ronaldo was criticised for under performing, showing frustration at his and his team-mates' errors and for walking off into the changing-rooms straight after the match, rather than thanking the crowd with the team. His team-mateNani later defended him stating that he had left the pitch since he needed to instantly be treated for a possible injury. He also stated that he had been training well and contributing to the team, and that he was under excessive of pressure since football is a team sport, but that he would soon silence his critics. Luis Figo however criticised his behaviour stating that it is the captain's responsibility to always defend the group, despite the result.[210]

During the match between Denmark and Portugal, the Denmark fans chanted Lionel Messi's name whenever Ronaldo was on the ball. Ronaldo squandered two gilt-edged one-on-one chances, and Ronaldo looked frustrated and tormented throughout.[211] Asked about the Messi chants, Ronaldo responded irritatedly: "You know where he was at this time last year? Do you know? He was being eliminated in the Copa America, in his own country. I think that's worse, no? And people say that he is the best player in the world. This sort of thing is normal for great players

In the final group match between Portugal and the Netherlands, Ronaldo scored two goals to secure a 2–1 victory for Portugal, allowing them to advance to the quarterfinals. He also struck the post twice in the match and was named Man of the Match.[215][216]

Cristiano Ronaldo was praised for his performance against the Czech Republic in the Quarterfinals. After he had twice hit the post, he finally darted in from behind his marker in the 79th minute and headed a cross from Joao Moutinho, sending Portugal into the semifinals with a 1–0 victory over the Czech Republic. After scoring the winning goal, he ran to the camera and was initially accused of chanting "Messi" mockingly, although upon further review, it was found that this was incorrect and that he had in fact simply stated "para ti" as he had dedicated the goal to his son.[217][218]

Ronaldo had several chances for Portugal in the semifinals against Spain, but he sent three shots over the bar.[219] Ronaldo had his best chance in the 90th minute but shot the ball high and wide.[220] The match ended with penalties, but Ronaldo did not take a penalty in the shootout. He had been slated to take the fifth one, but it never got that far.[221] The Portugal coach, Paulo Bento, knocked back criticism of Cristiano Ronaldo not being employed earlier in the shootout. "Well we had this plan and if it would have been 4–4 and he would have taken the last penalty we would talk in a different way," Bento said.[222][223]

Before and throughout the tournament, Ronaldo was particularly hailed by Diego Maradona who even declared Ronaldo as "the best player on the planet" and that "[Ronaldo] has shown his countrymen that he does deserve a monument in Lisbon."[214][224] Ronaldo was included in the UEFA Euro 2012 Team of the Tournament, the second time after 2004, and finished the competition as the joint best scorer with three goals, along with five other players, although Spain's Fernando Torres claimed the Golden Boot.