Cristiano Ronaldo – The Conqueror of Europe

“Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard” – Tim Notke.

No disrespect to Lionel Messi, but this quote fits Cristiano Ronaldo, who was never termed as the “generational talent” by the football pundits. Born to a municipal gardener on the small island of Portugal, Madeira, no one could’ve imagined a poor boy suffering from tachycardia, a heart disease, conquering European football.

However, with sheer hard work, discipline, resilience, and a “never give up” attitude, Cristiano Ronaldo climbed the ladder of success like no other. That said, there is much to know about him, his records, and how he changed the footballing world.

So, in this article, I’ll be covering Ronaldo’s journey, starting from his first day on the pitch to his heroics in the Champions League’s night.

Cristiano’s Boyhood Club – Sporting CP

Sporting CP – one of the most successful Portuguese clubs allowed Ronaldo to showcase his talent to the world. Initially, Ronaldo started in the Sporting CP’s youth team, but considering his stellar performance, he was soon included in the club’s primary team.

Cristiano showed a pretty decent performance in the league stage, but ironically, the world really witnessed his talent in a friendly match against Manchester United. Led by the legendary, Sir Alex Ferguson, Cristiano toyed with United’s defenders.

Eventually, Sporting CP won 3-1, and in the next five days, Cristiano was already in Manchester to sign a contract with United. Sir Alex was head over heels for Cristiano and signed him for £12.24 million, and with that, European football had no idea what was about to hit them.

Living the Dream – Manchester United

Cristiano Ronaldo had a slow start under Sir Alex Ferguson, as he only managed to bag 4 goals and 4 assists in 29 appearances in the first season. As Ronaldo adapted to the English conditions, he showed his talent in the Premier League, FA Cup, and the Champions League.

From 2003 to 2009, Ronaldo was the key player in United’s squad and won several titles. However, it was the Champions League, the Golden Boot, and the Ballon d’Or that highlighted how good he was at United.

After his first stint at United, Cristiano once again came to Old Trafford from Juventus. Although he stayed at United for a couple of years during his second tenure, he surely took the Premier League’s reputation to new heights.

Chasing the Glory – Real Madrid

If there was any club bigger than Manchester United, it would always be Real Madrid or Barcelona. And, Florentino Perez – President of Real Madrid wanted to sign Cristiano, even if it meant paying £80 million – a record transfer fee for any player at that time.

Real Madrid was the perfect opportunity for Cristiano to beat his arch-rival, Lionel Messi, who was the backbone of Barcelona. It wouldn’t be wrong to say that Cristiano had the most glorious days of his footballing career at Real Madrid.

Be it the Champions League, La Liga, Copa Del Ray, or individual awards like Ballon d’Or, Cristiano won everything at Real Madrid. And, even after achieving everything a footballer dreams of, these prized trophies couldn’t suffice Cristiano’s hunger for success.

So, to seek out new challenges, Cristiano bid farewell to Real Madrid right after winning his fourth Champions League trophy and joined Juventus.

A New Challenge – Juventus

By the time Cristiano joined Juventus, he had already crossed the 30-year mark. Most footballers hang up their boots at such an age, but Juventus paid a whopping €100 million to sign him.

Even though Cristiano had an outstanding physicality at such an age, he couldn’t adapt to the Italian football style. Besides a few remarkable performances, especially in the Champions League, Ronaldo didn’t win much with Juventus.

That being said, even the greatest athletes are humans, and age eventually catches up. So, soon after his second tenure at Manchester United from Juventus, he found a new playing field in Saudi Arabia – Al Nassr.

The Beginning of the End – Al Nassr

Football Leagues like SPL (Saudi Pro League) or MLS (Major League Soccer) are often considered as the “retirement leagues”, where iconic players nearing the end of their careers play. However, it is not entirely true as Ronaldo in SPL and Messi in MLS are still scoring and breaking new records every day.

Although Cristiano hasn’t won a major trophy with Al-Nassr, he is pretty close to winning the league this year. With a few matches left in the league, Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr is pushing hard for the glory.

Since I really want to watch my idol triumph in SPL, I’ve already switched to one of the high-speed Comcast Internet Plans to stream all the matches without lag or buffering. And as Cristiano is already 40, I believe he’d stick around Al-Nassr till the FIFA World Cup 2026, before finally hanging his boots.

The International Arena – National Football Team

It is fair to say that before Cristiano, Portugal’s national football team had been a mediocre one. They rarely made it to the knockout stages in international competitions, let alone winning them.

However, with Cristiano’s inclusion in the national team, they came closer to lifting their first Euro Cup in 2004, as Portugal was defeated 1-0 by Greece in the final.

From then on, Cristiano became a significant player for his national side and participated in every major UEFA and FIFA tournament until the last FIFA World Cup in Qatar. And in 2016, Cristiano was finally able to taste international success as he captained his side to win the Euro Cup against France.

Career Records

Cristiano is already 40 years old, and as a true football fan, it hurts to see a legend getting older.

That said, I don’t see him retiring from the game before the next FIFA World Cup in 2026, as it would probably be the last opportunity to win the glorious trophy. Anyway, before I wind up, let’s have a look at some of Cristiano Ronaldo’s major achievements.

• Ballon d’Or (5 Times)
• FIFA Men’s Player of the Year (3 Times)
• UEFA Men’s Player of the Year (4 Times)
• European Golden Boot (4 Times)
• Puskas Award (1 Time)
• Player of the Season (3 Times)

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