NAME: Cristiano Ronaldo Dos
Santos Aveiro
D.O.B: 5th February 1985
PLACE: Funchal, Madeira, Portugal
STAR SIGN: Aquarius
CHINESE STAR SIGN: Ox
WEIGHT: 11 stone
HEIGHT: 6ft 1
SIBLINGS: 1 brother (Hugo)
2 sisters (liliana, Filipa)
FAV COLOUR: White
FAV FOOD: bacalhau a braz
(codfish)
FAV DRINK: Santal (regional
fruit juice)
FAV PLAYER: Luis Figo, Thierry
Henry
HATES: Disloyalty
WEAKNESS: Very stubborn, worries
too much
STRENGTH: a happy person
HOBBIES: going for walks,
cinema, listening to music
CAR:
BMW X5
Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro was raised in a world
far removed from the glitz and glamour of Europes biggest club. Born into a poor family on the Portuguese island of Madeira
off the Morrocan coast, he spent his early footballing years starring for the local side, Nacional.
Sporting Lisbon
snapped him up for their schoolboy team at the age of 13 for £1,500. Yet his first few months were spent defending himself
from the local players who taunted him over his accent. The difference between Madeira and Lisbon is the Portuguese equivalent
of England and Scotland. And on more than one occasion he found himself in bust-ups with youngsters who mocked the way he
spoke. He stood out as a brilliant talent even then, yet for 12 months his young career was put on hold when a growth spurt
halted his progress and threatened to block his route to the first-team as he became a gawky teenager.
Fortunately that
lasted just one season and he established himself in a star-studded line-up. Two years ago he became the only player in Sportings
history to play for the Under-16, Under-17, Under-18, B team and first-team in one season. He earned the nickname the new
Patrick Kluivert because of his strong physical resemblance to the Dutch striker and his fantastic technical skills.
Sir Alex Ferguson
claimed an agreement had been in place to sign the player in early 2003, but the Red Devils quickened their pursuit when it
became clear other clubs were also chasing him. He said: "We have been negotiating for Cristiano for quite some time, but
the interest in him from other clubs accelerated in the last few weeks so we had to move quickly to get him.
"It was only through
our association with Sporting that they honoured our agreement of months ago. "He is an extremely talented footballer, a two-footed
attacker who can play anywhere up front: right, left or through the middle." Cristiano was inspirational in Lisbon's friendly
against United in early August - creating two of the goals as Sporting won 3-1. Ferguson added: "After we played Sporting
last week the lads in the dressing room talked about him constantly, and on the plane back from the game they urged me to
sign him - that's how highly they rated him.
Ronaldo impressed
for Portugal at the European Under-19 Championships in Liechtenstein. Liverpool and Chelsea were also reported to be interested
in the player, but they have been beaten to the punch by United. David Beckham's departure to Real Madrid left the Red Devils'
shirt vacant and Ronaldo now has the unenviable task of continuing the eye-catching performances expected of a United number
seven - following in the footsteps of not only Beckham but Cantona, Robson and Best. £12.24million is the highest a British
club has paid for a teenager, named after Ronald Reagan, because his father was an admirer of the former US president and
one-time actor, Ronaldo now has the chance to be a star and at the Theatre of Dreams.
