5 things you probably did not know about Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the most recognizable athletes on the planet. From Asia to Africa to America almost everyone knows who Cristiano Ronaldo is. Ronaldo started his career at Sporting Lisbon and was regarded as a young talent with a bright future. He was then spotted by Sir Alex Ferguson, who took him to Manchester United. After conquering the Premier League with Manchester United he set his sight on the Spanish league. He went on to play at Real Madrid under multiple managers and become a goal machine. Now Ronaldo has joined Juventus and is all set to light up Serie A.

Ronaldo has 137.2 million followers on Instagram and so his life is no secret to most people. He is adored by his fans and hated by his critics but he simply cannot be ignored by anyone. Aside from football Ronaldo has many businesses. He has his own clothing line and perfume. He also owns a multiple chain of Hotels. After so many biographies and documentaries made on his life, there is very little that people do not know about him. From his luxury cars to his constant charity work, most of his life is open to the public. In this article though, I try to find five things that most people may not know about the Juventus superstar.

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Ronaldo has a lifetime shoe deal with Nike

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#1 Ronaldo has a lifetime shoe deal with Nike

Lifetime deals are very rare. Only Lebron James and Michael Jordan had lifetime deals with Nike before Ronaldo. Ronaldo is said to have a lifetime deal worth close to a billion dollars.

Nike partnered with Ronaldo in 2003, when he joined Manchester United. They have been partners ever since and as of now, Ronaldo has worn close to 80 Nike boots.

Ronaldo is arguably one of the best social media influencers in sport. He often posts about Nike on Instagram and that alone attracts a lot of customers. Many articles suggest that a billion dollars is actually a bargain for the amount of revenue that Ronaldo is able to generate for the company.

Ronaldo almost quit football at the age of 15

#2 Ronaldo Heart Condition

At the age of fifteen, Ronaldo was diagnosed with a racing heart condition which may have led to him not being able to play. He was playing at Sporting Lisbon at that time and the doctors in Lisbon had suggested he have surgery.

Luckily for Ronaldo his mother allowed him to go ahead with the surgery. Ronaldo was operated in the morning and by the afternoon he was out of the hospital. The surgery was successful and Ronaldo could carry on playing football.

Ronaldo often credits his mother for his career and this was a pivotal moment as if she had not allowed the surgery, there was a high chance we may not have been able to witness the greatness of Cristiano.

Ronaldo was a record signing even at the age of 18

#3 Ronaldo was a world record signing for a player of 18

In 2003, Ronaldo played against Manchester United and impressed Sir Alex Ferguson and the entire Manchester United team. It is said that the players convinced Ferguson to move for Ronaldo. That is exactly what happened as Ronaldo was then purchased by Manchester United for £12 million. That was actually a record signing for an 18 year old.

Everyone is aware of Ronaldo being bought for £80 Million by Real Madrid, a world record fee at the time, but not too many people are aware that he cost so much at the age of 18.

Ronaldo has scored in every minute of a game

#4 He has scored in every minute of a football game

Most footballers would be happy with 90 goals. That's a decent return which any player should be proud of. Cristiano Ronaldo takes it to the next level as he has the unique record of scoring in every minute of a football game.

This is a fear so rare that not even Lionel Messi has not achieved it. Messi still needs to score in the first and second minute of the game to be a part of this list. As of now, there are only two footballers in the world to have accomplished this. One being Ronaldo, and the other being Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

Ronaldo was named after Ronald Regan

#5 Ronaldo is named after a US President

Ronaldo's full name is Cristiano Ronaldo Dos Santos Aveiro. Since that was a lot to take in the media stuck to Ronaldo and that now has become his identity. Not only his fans and critics, but even his teammates, friends and family have stuck to simply "Cristiano Ronaldo".

Ronaldo's father was a big fan of the 40th president of the United States, Ronald Regan. Ronald Regan was in charge from 1981 to 1989. Ronaldo was born in 1985, and his father liked the name Ronald a lot and so he decided to use that. He altered it to Ronaldo and the rest is history.