Unstoppable Cristiano Ronaldo: A look at 38 lesser-known facts and records as the Phenomenon celebrates 38 years of brilliance

Today marks the birthday of one of the greatest footballers to have ever graced the sport – Cristiano Ronaldo. As the Portuguese forward turns 38, let’s take a look at some of the lesser-known facts and records about him.

Here are 38 lesser-known facts and records about Cristiano Ronaldo, one for each year of his life:

1. Born on February 5, 1985, in Funchal, Madeira, Portugal.
2. His full name is Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro.
3. He has four children – three sons and a daughter.
4. His mother, Maria Dolores dos Santos Aveiro, was a cook, and his father, José Dinis Aveiro, was a municipal gardener and part-time kit man.
5. He has four siblings – one older brother, Hugo, two older sisters, Elma and Liliana Cátia, and a younger brother, Jorge.
6. Ronaldo grew up in a poor household and often went without food.
7. He started playing football at the age of 8, joining the amateur team Andorinha.
8. He signed his first professional contract with Sporting CP at the age of 12.
9. He joined Manchester United in 2003 and spent six seasons with the club, winning three Premier League titles, one UEFA Champions League trophy, and one FIFA Club World Cup.
10. He signed with Real Madrid in 2009 for a then-world record transfer fee of €94 million.
11. He joined Juventus in 2018 for a transfer fee of €100 million.
12. He has won multiple Ballon d’Or awards, given to the best football player in the world.
13. He is the all-time top scorer of the Portuguese national team, with 109 goals.
14. He has won numerous league titles in England, Spain, and Italy, as well as several domestic cup competitions.
15. He is the fastest player to reach 50 Serie A goals(in just 61 games).
16. He is the all-time top scorer in the UEFA Champions League, with 140 goals.
17. He is the first player to score in all six group-stage matches of a Champions League campaign (2017-18).
18. He holds the record for the active player with the most hat-tricks, with 60.
19. He is second on the all-time list, having won four Golden Shoes, as well as two consecutively. His record is 48 goals and 96 points respectively, in 2014–15.
20. He has won Golden Foot awards, given to players who stand out for their athletic achievements (both as individuals and team players) and for their personality.
21. He has scored over 800 career goals for the club and country.
22. He has scored over 100 goals for three clubs in three different countries.
23. Forbes twice ranked Ronaldo first on its list of the world’s highest-paid football players
24. He has donated millions of euros to shelters and hospitals, as well as jerseys and his golden boot to charity events.
25. He is a devout Catholic.
26. He is one of few footballers who do not wear tattoos, as he donates blood regularly.
27. He is known for his distinctive celebration, in which he performs a mid-air pirouette before exclaiming “si!” (sometimes spelt “siu”) which is Spanish for “yes!” upon landing. It is an expression of delight at scoring.
28. He has his own fashion line, CR7, and a hotel chain, Pestana CR7.
29.  Rock is one of Ronaldo’s favourite genres, although he doesn’t really pigeonhole himself in just one. He also said he has vast musical taste and a lot of songs on his iPod, from Phil Collins to George Michael and Sade.
30. Ronaldo is an ambassador for the major charities UNICEF and World Vision.
31. His most generous gesture was a $5 million donation he made to aid relief activities in Nepal after an earthquake killed nearly 8,000 people in 2015.
32. He is an avid collector of luxury cars and owns several high-end models, including Bugatti Veyron, Lamborghini Aventador LP, and many more.
33. He has been teetotal since at least 2005 – not only because of the adverse effects on his diet but also because his father’s death when Ronaldo was 20 was alcohol-related.
34. In the calendar year 2013, Cristiano Ronaldo scored 69 goals for Real Madrid and Portugal, beating his previous best of 63 in 2012.
35. He is the only player to have won the UEFA Men’s Player of the Year Award three times as well as twice in a row.
36. He has a bronze statue of his likeness erected in his hometown of Funchal, Madeira.
37. He has been named to the FIFPro World XI, a team of the best footballers in the world, multiple times.
38. He holds the all-time record with 118 international goals.

Ronaldo continues to break records and set new milestones with each passing year. As he celebrates his 38th birthday, it’s clear that he has no intention of slowing down. Here’s to another year of greatness from one of the greatest footballers of all time. Happy birthday, Cristiano Ronaldo! May your passion for the sport and your unrelenting drive to succeed continue to inspire millions around the world. Here’s to a year filled with more records, more goals, and more victories. Cheers to you, CR7!

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