INTRO-DUCTION INTRO-DUCTION The first half of the 2016-17 Champions League title game between Spain’s Real Madrid and Italy’s Juventus was close Juventus came out with a defense that was heavy on the right side to counter Real Madrid’s superstar player Cristiano Ronaldo The strategy didn’t work and Ronaldo scored the first goal of the match after about 20 minutes The teams were tied as the second half began Then Madrid pulled ahead with two quick scores For the third goal Ronaldo slipped past star defender Leonardo Bonucci and angled the ball past the diving goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon Real Madrid went on to win the game 4 1 In a flash Ronaldo had shown the world that his speed and footwork could beat two of the world’s best defenders It was a typical display of talent by Ronaldo His soccer skills have taken him from his humble upbringing in Portugal to international superstardom in Great Britain and Spain He has played against and beaten some of the best players to ever walk onto the field Though he has always been skilled Ronaldo made himself an even better player through hard work He quickly learned from other players and applied his talent to become one of the world’s leading scorers He has left a lasting mark on the sport that made him famous Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo shoots over Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon to score a goal during the Champions League final on June 3 2017 4
5 Introduction
A Champion Grows Up Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro was born on February 5 1985 in the town of Funchal on the small island of Madeira Portugal His father José Diniz Aveiro worked as an equipment manager for a local soccer team called Andorinha and as a city gardener His mother Maria Dolores dos Santos Aveiro worked as a cook Cristiano was the youngest of four children following his brother Hugo and sisters Elma and Liliana Catia The Aveiro family did not have a lot of money They lived in a very small apartment Cristiano shared a room with his three older siblings The children did not have toys and shared the few possessions they owned Their mother was very religious and the children were raised as devout Roman Catholics QUICK FACT The name Ronaldo was given to Cristiano in honor of his father’s favorite movie actor Ronald Reagan who was US president at the time of Cristiano’s birth 6 CHAPTER ONE
A Champion Grows Up Ronaldo was born in the city of Funchal on the southern coast of the Portuguese island of Madeira Finding Soccer Soccer was a popular pastime on Madeira Many of the people who lived on the island were poor Soccer was a sport that did not cost much money to play and that brought people together Anyone could join games or watch from the sidelines 7
