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
While still a boy Cristiano began playing soccer for the small club CF Andorinha His speed and talent were first recognized during those early games 8 CRISTIANO RONALDO SOCCER CHAMPION
A Champion Grows Up Cristiano started playing soccer at an early age He and other children played games anywhere they could find space Many of these soccer games took place in alleys At age eight or nine Cristiano joined Andorinha the team for which his father worked He started out as a right-winger meaning he played mainly along the sideline on the right side of the field Even in the informal alley games he played with his friends Cristiano took the sport seriously He wanted to win every match Sometimes his team would lose and he would cry from disappointment The other children nicknamed him crybaby The cruel nickname did not stop him from playing with passion Cristiano wanted to win more than ever Like many of the other kids on the island he looked up to professional soccer players His favorite player was the Portuguese midfielder Luis Figo who was also his mother’s favorite player Figo played in Portugal for Sporting 9
