5 Things You Didn't Know About Cristiano Ronaldo

#4. His career almost ended when he was just 15 years old

Ronaldo's career could have been over before it even began.

Cristiano Ronaldo is the perfect example of what a modern-day footballer should be. He is strong, fast and built like Hercules. But this was not always the case. On the contrary, Ronaldo suffered from health issues in his childhood.

Cristiano Ronaldo as a kid

When he was just 15 years old, he was diagnosed with a heart disease. Ronaldo had a 'racing heart' while growing up, which means his heart would beat abnormally fast at times. In an interview, his mother Dolores even revealed that there were genuine fears that Ronaldo would have to give up football due to this disease.

But thankfully, he had a successful operation to cure his irregular heartbeat and was back to training a few days later. It is hard to imagine what football would be like today if the disease had actually ended Ronaldo's career.