Cristiano Ronaldo is a winger who plays for Spanish side Real Madrid and Portugal. Ronaldo played his way up at Portuguese club Sporting Lisbon from the age of 12, making his first time debut already at 16. When Sporting played Manchester United in a friendly match, opening their new stadium in August 2003, Ronaldo impressed by leading Sporting to a 3-1 win. A few days later he joined Manchester United for £12.24 million and was given the famous no.7 shirt by Alex Ferguson.
At Manchester United Ronaldo grew into one of the best football players on the international stage. His celebritiy status probably also equals that of David Beckham, a former no.7 at United. With the club Ronaldo won 3 Premier League titles, 1 FA Cup, 2 League Cups and the 2008 UEFA Champions League. He also won numerous individual awards as Player of the Year, including the 2008 World Player of the Year.
Real Madrid soon started chasing his signature and he eventually, in June 2009, went on a £80 million transfer deal. This makes Ronaldo the most expensive signing in football history. He is also the highest paid footballer, earning £11 million per year in a six year contract.
Ronaldo has played for the Portuguese national team since 2003 and has been their captain since 2008.