Lionel Messi

 

Early life

Messi was born on 24 June 1987 in Rosario, Argentina, to parents Jorge Messi, a factory worker, and Celia (née Cuccitini), a part-time cleaner. His paternal family originates from the Italian city of Ancona where his ancestor, Angelo Messi, emigrated to Argentina in 1883. He has two older brothers named Rodrigo and Matías as well as a sister named Maria Sol. At the age of five, Messi started playing football for Grandoli, a local club coached by his father Jorge. In 1995, Messi switched to Newell's Old Boys who were based in his home city Rosario. At the age of 11, he was diagnosed with a growth hormone deficiency. Primera División club River Plate showed interest in Messi's progress, but did not have enough money to pay for the treatment, as it cost $900 a month.Carles Rexach, the sporting director of Barcelona, had been made aware of his talent as Messi had relatives in Lleida, Catalonia, and Messi and his father were able to arrange a trial.Barcelona signed him after watching him play, offering to pay for the medical bills if he was willing to move to Spain.His family moved to Europe and he started in the club's youth teams.

Club career

Barcelona

Messi made his unofficial debut for the first team in a friendly match against Porto on 16 November 2003 (at 16 years and 145 days) Less than a year later, Frank Rijkaard let him made his league debut against Espanyol on 16 October 2004 (at 17 years and 114 days), becoming the third-youngest player ever to play for Barcelona and youngest club player who played in La Liga (a record broken by team mate Bojan Krkić in September 2007). When he scored his first senior goal for the club against Albacete on 1 May 2005, Messi was 17 years, 10 months and 7 days old, becoming the youngest to ever score in a La Liga game for Barcelona until 2007 when Bojan Krkić broke this record, scoring from a Messi assist. Messi said about his ex-coach Frank Rijkaard: "I never forget that Rijkaard has launched me. That he gave me confidence as I only sixteen, seventeen years was."

2005–06 season

"Messi I think is like me, he is the best in the world along with Ronaldinho." —Diego Maradona.

On 16 September, for the second time in three months, Barcelona announced an update to Messi's contract – this time improved to pay him as a first team member and extended until June 2014. Messi obtained Spanish citizenship on 26 September and was finally able to make his debut in the season's Spanish First Division. Messi's first home outing in the UEFA Champions League came on 27 September against Italian club Udinese. Fans at Barcelona's stadium, the Camp Nou, gave Messi a standing ovation upon his substitution, as his composure on the ball and passing combinations with Ronaldinho had paid dividends for Barcelona
Messi netted six goals in seventeen league appearances, and scored one Champions League goal in six. His season ended prematurely on 7 March 2006, however, when he suffered a muscle tear in his right thigh during the second leg of the second round Champions League tie against Chelsea. Frank Rijkaard's Barcelona ended the season as champions of Spain and Europe.

2006–07 season

Messi in a match against Rangers in 2007

In the 2006–07 season, Messi established himself as a regular first team player, scoring 14 times in 26 matches. On 12 November, in the game against Real Zaragoza, Messi suffered a broken metatarsal, ruling him out for three months. Messi recuperated from his injury in Argentina, and his return to action came against Racing Santander on 11 February, where he came on as a second-half substitute. On 11 March, El Clásico saw Messi in top form, scoring a hat-trick to earn 10-man Barcelona a 3–3 draw, equalising three times, with the final equaliser coming in injury time. In doing so he became the first player since Iván Zamorano (for Real Madrid in the 1994–95 season) to score a hat-trick in El Clásico. Messi is also the youngest player ever to have scored in this fixture (scheduled match). Towards the end of the season he began finding the net more often; 11 of his 14 league goals for the season came from the last 13 games.

Messi shortly before scoring a goal against Getafe

Messi also proved the "new Maradona" tag was not all hype, by near-replicating Maradona's most famous goals in the space of the single season. On 18 April 2007, he scored two goals during a Copa del Rey semi-final against Getafe, one of which was very similar to Maradona's famous goal against England at the 1986 FIFA World Cup in Mexico, known as the Goal of the Century.The world's sports press drew comparisons with Maradona, and the Spanish press labelled Messi as "Messidona". He ran about the same distance, 62 metres (200 ft), beat the same number of players (six, including the goalkeeper), scored from a very similar position, and ran towards the corner flag just as Maradona did in Mexico 21 years before. In a press conference after the game, Messi's team-mate Deco said: "It was the best goal I have ever seen in my life." Against Espanyol Messi also scored a goal which was remarkably similar to Maradona's goal against England in the World Cup quarter-finals. Messi launched himself at the ball and connected with his hand to guide the ball past the goalkeeper Carlos Kameni. Despite protests by Espanyol players and replays showing it was clear handball, the goal stood.

2007–08 season

Messi takes Barça to 2-0 against Sevilla at Camp Nou on 22 September 2007

During the 2007–08 season, Messi scored five goals in a week leading Barcelona to the top four in La Liga. On 19 September he scored once as Barcelona defeated Olympique Lyonnais 3–0 at home in a Champions League match. He scored two goals against Sevilla on 22 September and then on 26 September, Messi scored another two goals in a 4–1 victory over Real Zaragoza. On 27 February, Messi played in his 100th official match for Barça against Valencia.
He was nominated for a FIFPro World XI Player Award under the category of Forward. A poll conducted in the online edition of the Spanish newspaper Marca had him as the best player in the world with 77 percent of the vote. Columnists from Barcelona-based newspapers El Mundo Deportivo and Sport stated that the Ballon d'Or should be given to Messi, a view supported by Franz Beckenbauer^] Football personalities such as Francesco Totti have declared that they consider Messi to be one of the current best footballers in the world.
Messi was sidelined for six weeks following an injury on 4 March when he suffered a muscle tear in his left thigh during a Champions League match against Celtic. It was the fourth time in three seasons that Messi suffered this type of injury.

2008–09 season

Messi in a match against Deportivo

Upon Ronaldinho's departure from the club, Messi inherited his number 10 jersey. On 1 October 2008, during a Champions League match against Shakhtar Donetsk, Messi scored two goals during the last seven minutes, after coming on as a substitute for Thierry Henry, to turn the score from 1–0 to a 1–2 victory for Barcelona. The next league game was versus Atlético Madrid, a match billed as a friendly battle between Messi and his good friend Sergio Agüero. Messi scored a goal from a free kick and assisted another as Barça went on to win the match 6–1. Messi netted another impressive brace against Sevilla scoring a volley from 23 metres (25 yd) and then dribbling round the goalkeeper and scoring from a tight angle for the other. On 13 December 2008, during the first Clásico of the season, Messi scored the second goal in Barcelona's 2–0 win over Real Madrid. He was also named second in the 2008 FIFA World Player of the Year awards with 678 points.
Messi scored his first hat-trick of 2009 in a Copa del Rey tie against Atlético Madrid which Barcelona won 3–1 Messi scored another important double on 1 February 2009, coming on as a second half substitute to help Barcelona defeat Racing Santander 1–2 after being 1–0 down. The second of the two strikes was Barcelona's 5000th league goal. In the 28th round of La Liga, Messi scored his 30th goal of the season in all competitions, helping his team to a 6–0 victory over Málaga CF in the process. On 8 April 2009, he scored twice against Bayern Munich in the Champions' League, setting a personal record of nine goals in the competition. On 18 April, Messi notched his 20th league goal of the season in a 1–0 win at Getafe, allowing Barcelona to maintain their six point advantage at the top of the league table over Real Madrid.

Michael Carrick (background) watches as Lionel Messi shoots in the 2009 UEFA Champions League Final

As Barcelona's season was drawing to a close, Messi scored twice (his 35th and 36th goals in all competitions) to cap a 6–2 win over Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu in what was Real's heaviest defeat since 1930.After scoring each goal, he ran towards the fans and the cameras lifting up his Barcelona jersey and showing another T-shirt that read Síndrome X Fràgil, Catalan for Fragile X Syndrome, to show his support for children who suffer from the affliction. Messi was involved in the build-up to Andrés Iniesta's injury time goal against Chelsea in the Champions League semi-final to send Barcelona through to face Manchester United in the final. He won his first Copa del Rey on 13 May, scoring one goal and assisting another two, in a 4–1 victory over Athletic Bilbao. He helped his team win the double by winning La Liga. On 27 May he helped Barcelona win the 2009 UEFA Champions League Final by scoring a second goal in the 70th minute giving Barcelona a two goal lead; he also became the top scorer in the Champions League with nine goals. Messi also won the UEFA Club Forward of the Year: and the UEFA Club Footballer of the Year rounding off a spectacular year in Europe. This victory meant Barcelona had won the Copa del Rey, La Liga and UEFA Champions League in the one season, and was the first time a Spanish club had ever won the treble.

2009–10 season

Lionel Messi of Barcelona in action during the Joan Gamper Trophy match between Barcelona and Manchester City at the Camp Nou Stadium

After winning the 2009 UEFA Super Cup, Barcelona manager Josep Guardiola asserted that Messi was probably the best player he had ever seen.
On 18 September, Messi signed a new contract with Barcelona, running until 2016 and with a buy-out clause of €250 million included, making Messi, along with Zlatan Ibrahimovic, the highest paid players in La Liga, with earnings of around €9.5 million yearly. Four days later, on 22 September, Messi scored two goals and assisted another in Barça's 4–1 win over Racing Santander in La Liga. Messi scored his first European goal of the season on 29 September in a 2–0 win over Dynamo Kyie Messi took his goal tally to six goals in seven games in La Liga with a strike during a 6–1 rout over Real Zaragoza at Camp Nou, and also scored a penalty in Barça's 4–2 win over Mallorca at the Camp Nou on 7 November. On 1 December 2009, Messi was named winner of the 2009 Ballon d'Or, beating runner-up Cristiano Ronaldo by a huge margin of 473 to 233. Afterwards, France Football magazine quoted Messi as saying: "I dedicate it to my family. They were always present when I needed them and sometimes felt even stronger emotions than me." On 19 December, Messi scored the winner in the final of the 2009 FIFA Club World Cup against Estudiantes in Abu Dhabi. Two days later, he was given the FIFA World Player of the Year award; beating Cristiano Ronaldo, Xavi, Kaká and Andrés Iniesta to the award. This was the first time he had won the award, and he became the first Argentinean to ever receive this honoure On 10 January 2010, Messi scored his first hat-trick in 2010 and his first hat-trick of the season against CD Tenerife in the 0–5 victory On 17 January, Messi scored his 100th goal for the club in the 4–0 victory over Sevilla.

International career

In June 2004, he debuted for Argentina, playing in an under-20 friendly match against Paraguay. In 2005 he was part of a team that won the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship in the Netherlands. There, he won the Golden Ball and the Golden Shoe.
He made his full international debut on 17 August 2005 against Hungary at 18 years of age. He was substituted on during the 63rd minute, but was sent off on the 65th minute because the referee, Markus Merk, found he had elbowed defender Vilmos Vanczák, who was tugging Messi's shirt. The decision was contentious and Maradona even claimed the decision was pre-meditated. Messi returned to the team on 3 September in Argentina's 1–0 World Cup qualifier away defeat to Paraguay. Ahead of the match he had said "This is a re-debut. The first one was a bit short." He then started his first game for Argentina against Peru; after the match Pekerman described Messi as "a jewel".
On 28 March 2009, in a World Cup Qualifier against Venezuela, Messi wore the Argentine number 10 jersey for the first time. This match was the first official match for Diego Maradona as the Argentina coach. Argentina won the match 4–0 with Lionel Messi opening the scoring.

2006 FIFA World Cup

The injury that kept Messi from playing for two months at the end of the 2005–06 season jeopardised his presence in the World Cup. Nevertheless, Messi was selected in the Argentina squad for the tournament on 15 May 2006. He also played in the final match before the World Cup against the Argentine U-20 team for 15 minutes and a friendly match against Angola from the 64th minute. He witnessed Argentina's opening match victory against Ivory Coast from the substitute's bench. In the next match against Serbia, Messi became the youngest player to represent Argentina at a World Cup when he came on as a substitute for Maxi Rodríguez in the 74th minute. He assisted Hernán Crespo's goal within minutes of entering the game and also scored the final goal in the 6–0 victory, making him the youngest scorer in the tournament and the sixth youngest goalscorer in the history of the World Cup. Messi started in Argentina's following 0–0 tie against the Netherlands. In the following game against Mexico, Messi came on as a substitute in the 84th minute, with the score tied at 1–1. He appeared to score a goal, but it was ruled offside with Argentina needing a late goal in extra time to proceed. Coach José Pekerman left Messi on the bench during the quarter-final match against Germany, which they lost 4–2 on a penalty shootout.

2007 Copa América

Messi at the Copa América 2007

Messi played his first game in the Copa América 2007 on 29 June 2007, when Argentina defeated United States 4–1 in the first game. In this game, he showed his capabilities as a playmaker. He set up a goal for fellow striker Hernán Crespo and had numerous shots on target. Tevez came on as a substitute for Messi in the 79th minute and scored minutes later.
His second game was against Colombia, in which he won a penalty that Crespo converted to tie the game at 1–1. He also played a part in Argentina's second goal as he was fouled outside the box, which allowed Juan Roman Riquelme to score from a freekick, and increase Argentina's lead to 3–1. The final score of the game was 4–2 in Argentina's favor and guaranteed them a spot in the tournament's quarterfinals.
In the third game, against Paraguay the coach rested Messi having already qualified for the quarter-finals. He came off the bench in place of Esteban Cambiasso in the 64th minute, with the score at 0–0. In the 79th minute he created a goal for Javier Mascherano. In the quarter-finals, as Argentina faced Peru, Messi scored the second goal of the game, from a Riquelme pass in a 4–0 win. During the semi-final match against Mexico, Messi scored a lob over Oswaldo Sánchez to see Argentina through to the final with a 3–0 win.Argentina went on to lose 3–0 to Brazil in the final.

Messi in the game against Brazil in the 2008 Olympics

2008 Summer Olympics

Having barred Messi from playing for Argentina in the 2008 Olympics,Barcelona agreed to release him after he held talks with Josep Guardiola. He joined the Argentina squad and scored the first goal in a 2–1 victory over Ivory Coast. He then scored the opening goal and assisted Ángel Di María in the second to help his side to a 2–1 extra-time win against the Netherlands. He also featured in Argentina's match against rivals Brazil, in which Argentina took a 3–0 victory, thus advancing to the final. In the gold medal match, Messi again assisted Di María for the only goal in a 1–0 victory over Nigeria.

Personal life

Messi was at one stage romantically linked to Macarena Lemos, also from his hometown of Rosario. He is said to have been introduced to her by the girl's father when he returned to Rosario to recover from his injury a few days before the start of the 2006 World Cup. He has in the past also been linked to the Argentine model, Luciana Salazar. In January 2009 he told "Hat Trick Barça", a programme on Canal 33: "I have a girlfriend and she is living in Argentina, I am relaxed and happy". He was seen with the girl, Antonella Roccuzzo, at a carnival in Sitges after the Barcelona-Espanyol derby. Roccuzzo is a fellow native of Rosario. They plan to wed near the end of 2010.
He is featured on the front cover of the video game Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 and is also involved in promotional campaigns for the game. Messi, along with Fernando Torres, is the face of Pro Evolution Soccer 2010, and was also involved in the motion capturing and the trailer. Messi is sponsored by the German sportswear company Adidas and features in their television advertisements.
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Personal information
Full name	Lionel Andrés Messi
Date of birth	24 June 1987 (1987-06-24) (age 22)
Place of birth	Rosario, Argentina
Height	1.69 m (5 ft 7 in)
Playing position	Winger / Striker
Club information
Current club	Barcelona
Number	10
Youth career
1995–2000	Newell's Old Boys
2000–2004	Barcelona
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
2004–2005	Barcelona B	5	(0)
2004–	Barcelona	125	(69)
National team‡
2005	Argentina U20	7	(6)
2008	Argentina U23	5	(2)
2005–	Argentina	41	(13)
Honours[show] Competitor for  Argentina Men's Football Gold 2008 Beijing Team Competition
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 23 January 2010. † Appearances (Goals). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 14 November 2009

e has two cousins in football; Maxi and Emanuel Biancucchi.

Club statistics

As of 23 January 2010

Club	Season	League			Cup			Europe			Club World Cup			Total
		Apps	Goals	Assists	Apps	Goals	Assists	Apps	Goals	Assists	Apps	Goals	Assists	Apps	Goals	Assists
Barcelona	2004–05	7	1	0	1	0	0	1	0	0	-	-	-	9	1	0
	2005–06	17	6	3	2	1	0	6	1	1	-	-	-	25	8	4
	2006–07	26	14	2	4	2	1	6	1	0	0	0	0	36	17	3
	2007–08	28	10	12	3	0	0	9	6	1	-	-	-	40	16	13
	2008–09	31	23	11	8	6	2	12	9	5	-	-	-	51	38	18
	2009–10	16	15	7	4	3	0	6	2	1	2	2	0	28	22	8
Career totals		125	69	35	22	12	3	40	19	8	2	2	0	189	102	46

International goals

#	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	1 March 2006	Basel, Switzerland	Croatia	2 – 3	Loss	Friendly
2	16 June 2006	Gelsenkirchen, Germany	Serbia and Montenegro	6 – 0	Win	2006 World Cup
3	5 June 2007	Barcelona, Spain	Algeria	4 – 3	Win	Friendly
4	5 June 2007	Barcelona, Spain	Algeria	4 – 3	Win	Friendly
5	8 July 2007	Barquisimeto, Venezuela	Peru	4 – 0	Win	2007 Copa América
6	11 July 2007	Puerto Ordaz, Venezuela	Mexico	0 – 3	Win	2007 Copa América
7	16 October 2007	Maracaibo, Venezuela	Venezuela	0 – 2	Win	2010 World Cup qualifying
8	20 November 2007	Bogotá, Colombia	Colombia	2 – 1	Loss	2010 World Cup qualifying
9	4 June 2008	San Diego, United States	Mexico	1 – 4	Win	Friendly
10	11 October 2008	Buenos Aires, Argentina	Uruguay	2 – 1	Win	2010 World Cup qualifying
11	11 February 2009	Marseille, France	France	0 – 2	Win	Friendly
12	28 March 2009	Buenos Aires, Argentina	Venezuela	4 – 0	Win	2010 World Cup qualifying
13	14 November 2009	Madrid, Spain	Spain	1 – 2	Loss	Friendly

Honours

Barcelona

• Spanish League (3): 2004–05, 2005–06, 2008–09
• Spanish Cup: (1) 2008–09
• Spanish Supercup (3): 2005, 2006, 2009
• UEFA Champions League (2): 2005–06, 2008–09
• UEFA Super Cup (1): 2009
• FIFA Club World Cup (1): 2009

International

• FIFA U-20 World Cup: 2005
• Olympic Gold Medal: 2008

Individual

• FIFA U-20 World Cup Top Scorer: 2005
• FIFA U-20 World Cup Player of the Tournament: 2005
• Copa América Young Player of the Tournament: 2007
• U-21 European Footballer of the Year: 2007
• Player of the Year of Argentina: 2005, 2007, 2009
• FIFPro Special Young Player of the Year: 2006–2007, 2007–2008
• FIFPro World Young Player of the Year: 2005–2006, 2006–2007, 2007–2008
• World Soccer Young Player of the Year: 2005–2006, 2006–2007, 2007–2008
• Premio Don Balón (Best Foreign Player in La Liga): 2006–2007, 2008–2009
• EFE Trophy (Best Ibero-American Player in La Liga): 2006–2007, 2008–2009
• FIFPro World XI: 2006–2007, 2007–2008, 2008–2009
• UEFA Team of the Year: 2007–2008, 2008–2009
• FIFA Team of the Year: 2008, 2009
• UEFA Champions League Top Scorer: 2008–2009
• Trofeo Alfredo Di Stéfano: 2008–2009
• UEFA Club Forward of the Year: 2008–2009
• UEFA Club Footballer of the Year: 2008–2009
• LFP Best Player: 2008–2009
• LFP Best Striker: 2008–2009
• Onze d'Or: 2009
• Ballon d'Or: 2009
• World Soccer Player of the Year: 2009
• FIFA Club World Cup Golden Ball: 2009
• Toyota Award: 2009
• FIFA World Player of the Year: 2009
• FIFPro World Player of the Year: 2008–09

Cristiano Ronaldo

Early life

Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro was born on 5 February 1985 in Santo António, a neighbourhood of Funchal, Madeira, the youngest child of Maria Dolores dos Santos Aveiro, a cook, and José Dinis Aveiro, a municipal gardener. His second given name, "Ronaldo", was chosen after then-U.S. president Ronald Reagan, who was his father's favourite actor. He has one older brother, Hugo, and two older sisters, Elma and Liliana Cátia.

Club career

Early career

At the age of eight, Ronaldo played for amateur team Andorinha, where his father was the kit man. In 1995, Ronaldo signed with local club Nacional, and, after a title-winning campaign, he went on a three-day trial with Sporting Clube de Portugal, who subsequently signed him for an undisclosed sum.

Sporting CP

Ronaldo joined Sporting's other youth players who trained at the Alcochete, the club's football academy. He became the only player ever to play for Sporting's U-16, U-17, U-18, B-team, and first team, all within one season.He scored two goals in his Sporting debut against Moreirense, while featuring for Portugal in the UEFA Under 17 Championships.
When he was 15, Ronaldo was diagnosed with a racing heart, a condition that might have forced him to give up playing football. The Sporting staff were made aware of the condition and Ronaldo's mother gave her authorisation for him to go into hospital. While there, he had an operation in which a laser was used to cauterise the area of his heart that was causing the problem. The surgery took place in the morning and Ronaldo was discharged from hospital by the end of the afternoon; he resumed training only a few days later.
He was first spotted by then-Liverpool manager Gérard Houllier at 16, but Liverpool declined to take him on because they decided he was too young and needed some time to develop his skills. However, he came to the attention of Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson in the summer of 2003, when Sporting defeated United 3–1 in the inauguration of the Estádio José Alvalade in Lisbon. Ronaldo's performance impressed the Manchester United players, who urged Ferguson to sign him.

Manchester United

2003–2005

Ronaldo with Manchester United

Ronaldo became Manchester United's first-ever Portuguese player when he signed for £12.24 million after the 2002–03 season. He requested the number 28 (his number at Sporting), as he did not want the pressure of living up to the expectation linked to the number 7 shirt, which had previously been worn by players such as George Best, Bryan Robson, Eric Cantona, and David Beckham. "After I joined, the manager asked me what number I'd like. I said 28. But Ferguson said 'No, you're going to have No. 7,' and the famous shirt was an extra source of motivation. I was forced to live up to such an honour."
Ronaldo made his team debut as a 60th-minute substitute in a 4-0 home victory over Bolton Wanderers. He scored his first goal for Manchester United with a free kick in a 3–0 win over Portsmouth on 1 November 2003. He scored United's thousandth Premier League goal on 29 October 2005 in a 4–1 loss to Middlesbrough. He scored ten goals in all competitions, and fans voted him to his first FIFPro Special Young Player of the Year award in 2005.

2006–2007

Ronaldo with United during their 2006-2007 season.

In November and December 2006, Ronaldo received consecutive Barclays Player of the Month honours, becoming only the third player in Premier League history to do so after Dennis Bergkamp in 1997 and Robbie Fowler in 1996. He scored his 50th Manchester United goal against city rivals Manchester City on 5 May 2007 as United claimed their first Premier League title in four years, and he was voted into his second consecutive FIFPro Special Young Player of the Year award at the end of the year.
Despite rumours circulating in March 2007 that Real Madrid were willing to pay an unprecedented €80 million (£54 million) for Ronaldo, he signed a five-year, £120,000-a-week (£31 million total) extension with United on 13 April, making him the highest-paid player in team history.
Ronaldo amassed a host of personal awards for the season. He won the PFA Players' Player of the Year and PFA Young Player of the Year awards, joining Andy Gray (in 1977) as the only players to receive this honour. In April, he completed the treble by winning the PFA Fans' Player of the Year. Ronaldo was also one of eight Manchester United players named in the 2006–07 PFA Premier League Team of the Year.

2007–2008

Ronaldo (centre) and Rio Ferdinand celebrating a goal

Ronaldo's 2007–08 season began with a red card for a headbutt on Portsmouth player Richard Hughes during United's second match of the season, for which he was punished with a three-match ban. Ronaldo said he had "learned a lot" from the experience and would not let players "provoke" him in the future. After scoring the only goal in a Champions League away match against Sporting, Ronaldo also scored the injury-time winner in the return fixture as Manchester United topped their Champions League group.
He finished as the runner-up to Kaká for the 2007 Ballon d'Or, and was third in the running for the FIFA World Player of the Year award, behind Kaká and Lionel Messi.
Ronaldo scored his first hat trick for Manchester United in a 6–0 win against Newcastle United at Old Trafford on 12 January 2008, bringing Manchester United up to the top of the Premier League table. He scored his twenty-third league goal of the season in a 2–0 win against Reading, equalling his entire total for the 2006–07 season. During a 1–1 Champions League first knockout round draw against Lyon on 20 February, an unidentified Lyon supporter continuously aimed a green laser at Ronaldo and United teammate Nani, prompting an investigation by UEFA. One month later, Lyon were fined CHF5,000 (£2,427) for the incident.
On 19 March 2008, Ronaldo captained United for the first time in his career in a home win over Bolton, scoring both goals in the 2–0 victory. The second of the goals was his 33rd of the campaign, which set a new club single-season scoring record by a midfielder and thus topped George Best's forty-year-old total of 32 goals in the 1967–68 season. Ronaldo scored another brace in a 4–0 win over Aston Villa on 29 March, which at the time gave him 35 goals in 37 domestic and European matches as both a starter and substitute. Ronaldo's torrid scoring streak was rewarded with his becoming the first winger to win the 2007–08 European Golden Shoe, finishing eight points ahead of Mallorca's Dani Güiza.
In the 2007–08 Champions League final on 21 May against league rivals Chelsea, Ronaldo scored the opening goal after 26 minutes, which was negated by a Chelsea equaliser in the 45th minute as the match ended 1–1 after extra time. His misfire in the penalty shoot-out put Chelsea in position to win the trophy, but John Terry shot wide right after slipping on the pitch surface, and Manchester United emerged victorious 6–5 on penalties. Ronaldo was named the UEFA Fans' Man of the Match, and wrapped up the campaign with a career-high 42 goals in all competitions, falling just four short of Denis Law's team-record mark of 46 in the 1963–64 season.

2008–2009

Ronaldo taking a free kick.

On 5 June 2008, Sky Sports reported that Ronaldo had expressed an interest in moving to Real Madrid if they offered him the same amount of money the team had allegedly promised him earlier in the year.Manchester United filed a tampering complaint with FIFA on 9 June over Madrid's alleged pursuit of Ronaldo, but FIFA declined to take any action. Speculation that a transfer would happen continued until 6 August, when Ronaldo confirmed that he would stay at Manchester for at least another year.
Ronaldo underwent ankle surgery at the Academic Medical Center in Amsterdam on 7 July. He returned to action on 17 September in United's UEFA Champions League goalless group-stage draw with Villarreal as a substitute for Park Ji-Sung^' and scored his first overall goal of the season in a 3–1 League Cup third round win over Middlesbrough on 24 September.
In a 5–0 win over Stoke City on 15 November 2008, Ronaldo scored his 100th and 101st goals in all competitions for Manchester United, both from free kicks. The goals also meant that Ronaldo had now scored against each of the other 19 teams in the Premier League at the time. On 2 December, Ronaldo became Manchester United's first Ballon d'Or recipient since George Best in 1968. He finished with 446 points, 165 ahead of runner-up Lionel Messi He was awarded the Silver Ball after finishing with two goals as United won the Club World Cup on 19 December.
On 8 January 2009, Ronaldo was uninjured in a single-car accident in which he wrote off his Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano in a tunnel along the A538 near Manchester Airport. A breathalyzer test he gave to police officers at the scene was negative, and he attended training later that morning. Four days later, he became the first Premier League player ever to be named the FIFA World Player of the Year, in addition to being the first Portuguese player to win the award since Luís Figo in 2001.
Ronaldo scored his first Champions League goal of the season, and first since the final against Chelsea, in a 2–0 victory over Internazionale that sent United into the quarter-finals. In the second leg against Porto, Ronaldo scored a 40-yard game-winning goal as United advanced to the semi-finals. He later called it the best goal he had ever scored. Ronaldo participated in his second consecutive Champions League final, but made little impact in United's 2–0 loss to Barcelona. He finished with 53 appearances in all competitions, which was four higher than the previous year, but scored sixteen fewer goals (26) than his career-best total of 42 from the previous season.
On 11 June, Manchester United accepted an unconditional offer of £80 million from Real Madrid for Ronaldo after it was revealed that he again had expressed his desire to leave the club. It was confirmed by a representative of the Glazer family that the sale was fully condoned by Ferguson. When Ronaldo had eventually completed his transfer to Real, he expressed his gratitude towards Ferguson for helping him develop as a player, saying, "He's been my father in sport, one of the most important factors and most influential in my career."

Real Madrid

Ronaldo with Real Madrid.

On 26 June 2009, Real Madrid confirmed that Ronaldo would join the club on 1 July 2009, after agreeing terms and signing a six-year contract. It is believed that Ronaldo's contract is worth €13 million per season and it has a €1 billion buy-out clause. He was presented to the world media as a Real Madrid player on 6 July, where he was handed the number 9 jersey. The shirt was presented to him by Madrid legend Alfredo di Stéfano. Ronaldo was welcomed by 80,000 fans at his presentation at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, surpassing Diego Maradona's record of 75,000 fans when he was presented in Italy, after he was transferred from Barcelona to Napoli in 1984.
Ronaldo made his Madrid debut on 21 July in a 1-0 win over Shamrock Rovers. His first goal came one week later on a penalty in Madrid's 4-2 LDU Quito. On 29 August, Ronaldo capped his La Liga debut with a goal, scoring Real's second from the penalty spot in a 3–2 home win against Deportivo La Coruña. On 15 September, Ronaldo scored his first Champions League goals, both on free kicks, against FC Zürich in a 5-2 win. He broke a Madrid club record when he scored in a league match against Villareal and thus became the first ever player to score in his first four La Liga appearances.
An ankle injury suffered on 10 October, while Ronaldo was on international duty with Portuga against Hungary, kept him out until 25 November, which in turn caused him to miss both of Madrid's Champions League group stage matches against A.C. Milan. Ronaldo made his first post-injury start in a 1-0 El Clásico defeat to Barcelona on 29 November. On 6 December, he was sent off for the first time in his Madrid career in Madrid's 4-2 victory against Almeria, a match which also saw him miss a penalty. He was carded first for removing his shirt during a goal celebration, then for kicking out at an opponent three minutes later.

International career

Cristiano Ronaldo vs Brazil

Ronaldo earned his first cap for Portugal in a 1-0 victory against Kazakhstan on 20 August 2003. He was called up for Euro 2004, scoring in a 2-1 group stage loss to eventual champions Greece and in a 2-1 semi-final win over the Netherlands. He was named in the team of the tournament despite finishing with only two goals That same year, he also represented Portugal at the 2004 Summer Olympics.

2006 World Cup

Ronaldo was the second-highest scorer in FIFA World Cup qualification in the European zone with seven goals, and scored his first and only World Cup goal against Iran with a penalty kick.
During a quarter-final match against England on 1 July 2006, Ronaldo's United teammate Wayne Rooney was sent off for stamping on Portugal defender Ricardo Carvalho. The English media speculated that Ronaldo had influenced referee Horacio Elizondo's decision by aggressively complaining, after which he was seen in replays winking at the Portuguese bench following Rooney's dismissal. After the match, Ronaldo insisted that Rooney was a friend and that he was not pushing for Rooney to be sent off. On 4 July, Elizondo clarified that the red card was due to Rooney's infraction and not the fracas between Rooney and Ronaldo that followed.
The angry reaction from the English press caused Ronaldo to consider leaving United, and he allegedly told Spanish sports daily Marca that he wished to move to Real Madrid. In response to the speculation, Ferguson sent Portuguese assistant manager Carlos Queiroe to speak to Ronaldo in attempt to change his mind, a sentiment that was shared by Rooney. Ronaldo stayed, and signed his new five-year extension in April 2007.
Ronaldo was booed during Portugal's semifinal defeat to France, and missed out on the competition's Best Young Player award due to a negative e-mail campaign from England fans. Though the online vote only affected the nomination process, FIFA's Technical Study Group awarded the honour to Germany's Lukas Podolski, citing Ronaldo's behaviour as a factor in the decision.

Post-World Cup

One day after his twenty-second birthday, Ronaldo captained Portugal for the first time in a friendly against Brazil on 6 February 2007. This move was in honour of Portuguese Football Federation president Carlos Silva, who had died two days earlier. Portugal coach Luiz Felipe Scolari explained, "Mr. Silva asked me to make [Ronaldo] captain as a gesture... [he] is too young to be captain, but Mr. Silva asked me, and now he is no longer with us."
Ronaldo scored eight goals in Portugal's UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying campaign, behind Poland's Ebi Smolarek, but finished with only one goal in the tournament as Portugal were eliminated in the quarter-finals by Germany. Since the appointment of new Portuguese coach Carlos Queiroz, Ronaldo has been named the new captain of the squad.
On 10 September 2009, in a World Cup qualification match against Hungary, Ronaldo provided an assist for the first goal scored by Simão and Portugal went to win the game 3–0. Following the win against Malta by 4 - 0, and the Sweden loss to Denmark, Portugal advanced to the 2nd place which leads to the playoff. Ronaldo was called-up for the play-offs with much controversy and disagreement from the Merengues, due to the injury he had aggravated on the game against Hungary, and was submitted to physicals by the Portuguese team but was later announced his inability to play against Bosnia and Herzegovina.

International goals

Cristiano Ronaldo: International goals

#	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	12 June 2004	Estádio do Dragão, Porto, Portugal	Greece	1–2	1–2	Euro 2004
2	30 June 2004	Estádio José Alvalade, Lisbon, Portugal	Netherlands	2–0	2–1	Euro 2004
3	4 September 2004	Skonto stadions, Riga, Latvia	Latvia	0–1	0–2	World Cup 2006 Qualifying
4	8 September 2004	Estádio Dr. Magalhães Pessoa, Leiria, Portugal	Estonia	1–0	4–0	World Cup 2006 Qualifying
5	13 October 2004	Estádio José Alvalade, Lisbon, Portugal	Russia	2–0	7–1	World Cup 2006 Qualifying
6	13 October 2004	Estádio José Alvalade, Lisbon, Portugal	Russia	4–0	7–1	World Cup 2006 Qualifying
7	17 November 2004	Stade Josy Barthel, Luxemburg City, Luxembourg	Luxembourg	0–2	0–5	World Cup 2006 Qualifying
8	4 June 2005	Estádio da Luz, Lisbon, Portugal	Slovakia	2–0	2–0	World Cup 2006 Qualifying
9	8 June 2005	A. Le Coq Arena, Tallinn, Estonia	Estonia	0–1	0–1	World Cup 2006 Qualifying
10	1 March 2006	LTU Arena, Düsseldorf, Germany	Saudi Arabia	0–1	0–3	Friendly
11	1 March 2006	LTU Arena, Düsseldorf, Germany	Saudi Arabia	0–3	0–3	Friendly
12	17 June 2006	Waldstadion, Frankfurt, Germany	Iran	2–0	2–0	World Cup 2006
13	7 October 2006	Estádio do Bessa, Porto, Portugal	Azerbaijan	1–0	3–0	Euro 2008 Qualifying
14	7 October 2006	Estádio do Bessa, Porto, Portugal	Azerbaijan	3–0	3–0	Euro 2008 Qualifying
15	15 November 2006	Estádio Cidade de Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal	Kazakhstan	2–0	3–0	Euro 2008 Qualifying
16	24 March 2007	Estádio José Alvalade, Lisbon, Portugal	Belgium	2–0	4–0	Euro 2008 Qualifying
17	24 March 2007	Estádio José Alvalade, Lisbon, Portugal	Belgium	4–0	4–0	Euro 2008 Qualifying
18	22 August 2007	Hanrapetakan Stadium, Yerevan, Armenia	Armenia	1–1	1–1	Euro 2008 Qualifying
19	8 September 2007	Estádio da Luz, Lisbon, Portugal	Poland	2–1	2–2	Euro 2008 Qualifying
20	17 October 2007	Almaty Central Stadium, Almaty, Kazakhstan	Kazakhstan	0–2	1–2	Euro 2008 Qualifying
21	11 June 2008	Stade de Genève, Geneva, Switzerland	Czech Republic	1–2	1–3	Euro 2008
22	11 February 2009	Estádio Algarve, Faro, Portugal	Finland	1–0	1–0	Friendly

Career statistics

Club	Season	League		Cup		League Cup		Europe		Other1		Total
		Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Sporting CP	2002–03	25	3	3	2	–		3	0	0	0	31	5
	Total	25	3	3	2	–		3	0	0	0	31	5
Manchester United	2003–04	29	4	5	2	1	0	5	0	0	0	40	6
	2004–05	33	5	7	4	2	0	8	0	0	0	50	9
	2005–06	33	9	2	0	4	2	8	1	0	0	47	12
	2006–07	34	17	7	3	1	0	11	3	0	0	53	23
	2007–08	34	31	3	3	0	0	11	8	1	0	49	42
	2008–09	33	18	2	1	4	2	12	4	2	1	53	26
	Total	196	84	26	13	12	4	55	16	3	1	292	118
Real Madrid	2009–10	12	9	0	0	–		4	6	0	0	16	15
	Total	12	9	0	0	–		4	6	0	0	16	15
Career total		233	96	29	15	12	4	62	22	3	1	339	138

Statistics accurate as of match played 10 January 2010
¹Includes other competitive competitions, including the Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira, FA Community Shield, UEFA Super Cup, Intercontinental Cup, FIFA Club World Cup and Supercopa de España.

Honours

Club

Manchester United

• Premier League (3): 2006–07, 2007–08, 2008–09
• FA Cup (1): 2003–04
• League Cup (2): 2005–06, 2008–09
• FA Community Shield (1): 2007
• UEFA Champions League (1): 2007–08
• FIFA Club World Cup (1): 2008

Individual

• UEFA Euro 2004 Team of the Tournament
• FIFPro Special Young Player of the Year: 2004–05, 2005–06
• Portuguese Footballer of the Year: 2006–07
• UEFA Team of the Year: 2003–2004, 2006–07, 2007–08
• FIFPro World XI: 2006–07, 2007–08, 2008–09
• PFA Young Player of the Year: 2006–07
• PFA Players' Player of the Year: 2006–07, 2007–08
• PFA Fans' Player of the Year: 2006–07, 2007–08
• PFA Premier League Team of the Year: 2005–06, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2008–09
• FWA Footballer of the Year: 2006–07, 2007–08
• Premier League Player of the Season: 2006–07, 2007–08
• Premier League Player of the Month: November 2006, December 2006, January 2008, March 2008
• Premier League Golden Boot: 2007–08
• Barclays Merit Award: 2007–08
• European Golden Shoe: 2007–08
• UEFA Club Forward of the Year: 2007–08
• UEFA Club Footballer of the Year: 2007–08
• FIFPro World Player of the Year: 2007–08
• Ballon d'Or: 2008
• FIFA World Player of the Year: 2008
• FIFA Ferenc Puskás Award: 2009
• Onze d'Or: 2008
• Bravo Award: 2004
• FIFA World Player of the Year: 2009 Runner-up
• Ballon d'Or: 2009 Runner-up
• World Soccer Player of the Year: 2008

Personal information
Full name	Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro
Date of birth	5 February 1985 (1985-02-05) (age 24)
Place of birth	Funchal, Madeira, Portugal
Height	1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)
Playing position	Winger Forward
Club information
Current club	Real Madrid
Number	9
Youth career
1993–1995	Andorinha
1995–1997	Nacional
1997–2001	Sporting CP
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
2001–2003	Sporting CP	25	(3)
2003–2009	Manchester United	196	(84)
2009–	Real Madrid	12	(9)
National team‡
2003–	Portugal	68	(22)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 22:55, 24 January 2010 (UTC). † Appearances (Goals). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 20:35, 10 October 2009 (UTC)

Personal life

Ronaldo's father, José Dinis Aveiro, died of alcoholism at age 52 when Ronaldo was 20. Ronaldo does not consume alcohol and does not smoke. In March 2009, Ronaldo donated £100,000 to the hospital which helped save his mother's life after she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2007.
Ronaldo's autobiography, titled "Moments," was published in December 2007. Along with one of his sisters, Ronaldo opened a fashion boutique under the name "CR7" (his initials and old Manchester United shirt number). There are currently two CR7 store locations, both of which are in Portugal; one in Lisbon and the other in Madeira.

Advertising Campaigns

• Banco Espirito Santo For many years now he has been the face of ad campaigns for Banco Espirito Santo. Oftentimes, Cristiano is either kicking a soccer ball around or making some reference to his busy, wealthy lifestyle and where he keeps his money, Espirito Santo.
• Pepe Jeans In 2005, the Portuguese soccer star became the new star of an ad campaign for Pepe Jeans. The ad seems to take place in a dirt type road with cars and other metallic items in the background. Cristiano is either laying down or staying up modeling the jeans. Also, some shots were shirtless, as others were not.
• Nike Mercurial Vapor The soccer superstar is also the figurehead for the Nike Mercurial Vapor. The commercial for the shoes was actually pretty spoken about at the time of its release. This video depicts Cristiano Ronaldo wearing the shoes and racing a Bugatti and winning the race, both forward and backward. The ad is meant to show the speed that the Nike shoes give the person wearing them.
• Coca-Cola Cristiano also appeared in a Coca-Cola ad with other athletes promoting the beverage.
• Emporio Armani In October 2009, designer Giorgio Armani announced Ronaldo would be taking over from David Beckham as the spokesmodel for Emporio Armani men's underwear and jeans. He will begin appearing in a new worldwide advertising campaign starting in the spring of 2010. As of early January 2010, Cristiano has been the face and body of Emporio Armani underwear. The sexy photos, replacing those of David Beckham show Ronaldo in various types of men’s underwear and jeans, flexing his muscles as well as modeling the clothing.