Ronaldo is one of the most popular athletes in the world. We decided to make a selection of interesting facts about him that you probably did not know. But Cristiano Ronaldo is known not only for undeniable sports successes. He is one of the most influential, wealthy people in the world and sets various records (controversial and not so) in everyday life.
What is the real last name?
Ronaldo is the second name of the athlete. Full name looks like Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro. It was given by the football player’s father, who was an ardent admirer of the President of America of those times.
Beggar childhood
Ronaldo is not one of those who was born with a golden spoon in his mouth. The athlete’s family lived extremely poorly. Dad was a gardener, and mom was a cook, so there was only enough money for the most basic things. Cristiano was the fourth child – he has two older sisters and one brother. So Ronaldo can only be grateful for his success in big-time sports to his own perseverance and constant great work.
Begging at MCDONALD’S
At the age of 11, the future football star lived permanently in the Sporting boarding school in Lisbon. Cristiano Ronaldo saw his family literally once every three months. Often the guys did not have enough food and they went to McDonald’s to ask for it. Little football players spoke – the employees of the institution often shared something with them. When Ronaldo got rich, he even looked for those employees of catering establishments to thank them.
Expulsion from school
Cristiano could not finish secondary school. At the age of 14, he was simply kicked out for aggressive behavior – a football player launched a chair at a teacher. Subsequently, Ronaldo said that he did it for a reason – he was tired of enduring disrespect from the teacher. Ronaldo did not return to school, he decided to fully concentrate on sports.
Heart surgery
At the age of 15, the footballer was diagnosed with serious heart problems. They jeopardized a future career – it could end before it really started. But, fortunately, Ronaldo was provided with timely qualified assistance. A simple laser operation did not take long, allowed Cristiano to return to training after a few days.
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Bad habits – no!
Cristiano does not suffer from bad habits. Probably the reason is in family history – the father of a famous football player died at the age of 52 from alcohol addiction. While dad was alive, Ronaldo repeatedly persuaded him to undergo rehabilitation in order to recover.
In an interview, Cristiano recalled his childhood, in which his father was always drunk, it was impossible to talk to him. Once a football player even won a lawsuit against the media, which stated that she had seen him drunk in a nightclub.
Rejection of the tattoo
The football player has a luxurious inflated figure. Why no tattoos? Cristiano is an active blood donor. In 2008, he was the face of the Red Cross organization and starred in social advertising under the slogan: “I don’t get tattoos, because their presence does not allow me to be a blood donor.”
Model parameters
According to official figures, Cristiano has only 10% body fat. Even for supermodels, this figure is often higher. The weight of the athlete is 85 kg, and the height is 187 cm.
Ronaldo as a subject at the university
In higher education, they teach a subject dedicated to Cristiano Ronaldo, his life and career. The initiative is sponsored by the University of British Columbia in Canada. The administration decided that students needed to know everything about the path of becoming a football genius.
Galaxy Ronaldo
Cristiano’s home island of Madeira has an international airport named after him. In the same place, in 2013, a museum named after the athlete appeared – it displays all the awards. But that’s not all – Ronaldo’s popularity has reached planet Earth.
A group of scientists from Lisbon discovered the galaxy and named it Cosmos Redshift 7. Officials confirmed that this is not a coincidence, but a tribute to the famous athlete.
Interesting nicknames
You can find different nicknames for Ronaldo – for example, Ronik, Ronnie, KriRo, Krish, Penaldo, Crybaby and many others. As a child, he was called Bee and Little Bee – the football player was noticeably faster than other team members.
Favorite movie
Cristiano admits in an interview that he does not like to watch football matches, but he loves MMA and boxing. But even more he loves films, among the favorites he calls The Silence of the Lambs. This old dramatic movie is exactly what Ronaldo claims he likes.
Who could be?
Football has been present in Cristiano’s life for most of his life, so it’s hard to imagine him in any other role. But still, what if you try? The Portuguese says that he always dreamed of being an athlete, but if he had to choose something else, he would bet on modeling or acting. He himself emphasizes that he does not know about his talent, but he is sure that if you work hard and hard, you can achieve heights in any field.