Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro (born 5 February 1985), nicknamed CR7, is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a forward for and captains both Saudi Pro League club Al-Nassr and the Portugal national team. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players in history, he has won numerous individual accolades throughout his career, including five Ballon d'Ors, a record three UEFA Men's Player of the Year Awards, and four European Golden Shoes. He was also named the world's best player five times by FIFA. He has won 35 trophies in his career, including five UEFA Champions Leagues and the UEFA European Championship. He holds the records for most goals (140) and assists (42) in the Champions League, goals (14) and assists (8) in the European Championship, and most international appearances (226) and international goals (143). He is the only player to have scored 100 goals with four different clubs. He has made over 1,300 professional career appearances, the most by an outfield player, and has scored over 970 official senior career goals for club and country, making him the top goalscorer of all time. Born in Funchal, Madeira, Ronaldo began his career with Sporting CP before signing with Manchester United in 2003. He became a star player at United, where he won three consecutive Premier League titles, the Champions League, and the FIFA Club World Cup. His 2007–08 season earned him his first Ballon d'Or at age 23. In 2009, Ronaldo became the subject of the then-most expensive transfer in history when he joined Real Madrid in a deal worth €94 million (£80 million). At Madrid, he was at the forefront of the club's resurgence as a dominant European force, helping them win four Champions Leagues between 2014 and 2018, including the long-awaited La Décima. He also won two La Liga titles, including the record-breaking 2011–12 season in which Madrid reached 100 points, and became the club's all-time top goalscorer. He won Ballon d'Ors in 2013, 2014, 2016 and 2017, and was runner-up three times to Lionel Messi, his perceived career rival. Following issues with the club hierarchy, Ronaldo signed for Juventus in 2018 in a transfer worth an initial €100 million, where he was pivotal in winning two Serie A titles. In 2021, he returned to United before joining Al-Nassr in 2023. Ronaldo made his international debut for Portugal in 2003 at the age of 18 and has earned more than 200 caps, making him history's most-capped male player. He has played in eleven major tournaments. He scored his first international goal in Euro 2004, where he helped Portugal reach the final and subsequently made the team of the tournament. He assumed captaincy of the national team ahead of Euro 2008; and at Euro 2012, he was named in the team of the tournament. Ronaldo led Portugal to their first major tournament title at Euro 2016, being named in the team of the tournament for the third time. In the 2018 World Cup, he had his most prolific World Cup campaign with four goals. He received the Golden Boot as the top scorer of Euro 2020 before playing in his fifth World Cup at the 2022 World Cup. He has won two UEFA Nations Leagues, in 2019 and 2025.

One of the world's most marketable and famous athletes, Ronaldo has been ranked by Sportico as the third highest-paid athlete of all time in April 2026, and as the highest-paid athlete of the year for three consecutive years between 2023 and 2025. He was also ranked the world's highest-paid athlete by Forbes on five occasions, the most in history, and the world's most famous athlete by ESPN from 2016 to 2019. Time included him on their list of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2014. He is the most popular sportsperson on social media: he counts over 1 billion total followers across Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram, making him the first person to achieve that feat. Ronaldo was named in the UEFA Ultimate Team of the Year in 2015, the All-time UEFA Euro XI in 2016, and the Ballon d'Or Dream Team in 2020. In recognition of his record-breaking goalscoring success, he received special awards for Outstanding Career Achievement by FIFA in 2021 and Champions League All-Time Top Scorer by UEFA in 2024.