New Delhi: The man, the myth, the legend, Cristiano Ronaldo is a certified icon of not only the footballing world but around the globe as well. The Portuguese superstar has not only made history in the sport he excels at but has also achieved historical achievements off the field as well which make him such an esteemed and distinguished personality. From sweeping the streets of Madeira to sweeping away trophies, his journey to stardom has been an unforgettable one for everyone involved.
Last night, he once again found a way to etch his name in history books, as he became the first individual to cross 1 billion followers across all social media platforms. Just this fact alone shows the reach he has amongst general public. While he is considered as arguably the best footballer on the planet, there is no arguing about him being the most recognizable individual to ever grace the sport.
Starting his journey from the small island town of Madeira, he joined local club Andorinha, where his father used to be a kitman. From Andorinha, he moved to another local club Nacional before joining the youth system of Sporting CP, where his talents were noted on a higher level. After impressing for Sporting CP in a friendly against Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United, the legendary manager decided to sign the then-Portuguese teenager in a move that changed the course of his life.
Moving to one of the biggest clubs in the world at such a young age and then being handed the same jersey number as legends like David Beckham, George Best, and Eric Cantona would’ve been too huge a mountain to climb for any teenager. However, Ronaldo showed that he isn’t just any teenager and even though he was hesitant at first before taking the number, he showed no such hesitance on the field and went on to fulfill the potential he showed at his early age.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s on field success and impact
Ronaldo’s move to Al-Nassr paved the way for the evolution of football in Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Khalid Alhaj/MB Media/Getty Images)
Being arguably the best footballer of the world comes with a lot of hardwork and talent, something which CR7 is an embodiment of and that is bound to bring a whole load of achievements and success. The Portuguese icon recently hit another milestone in his already illustrious career, becoming the first person to score 900 career goals in the UEFA Nations League match against Croatia and he quickly moved to 901 in the very next game.
Ronaldo is a beast who unequivocally rules UEFA competitions whether that be for his club or country. The 39-year-old became the only player to represent their country at six different editions of the tournament, which allowed him to claim other UEFA Euro records as well. He has the most appearances, most goals and the most assists at UEFA’s European Championships, and has also won the tournament in 2016.
When it comes to the UEFA Champions League, Ronaldo was just honoured for being the tournaments top scorer with 140 goals to his name. He also became the first player to ever win five UEFA Champions Leagues, winning one with Manchester United and the rest with Real Madrid, for whom he is the all-time leading goals scorer, finishing above the likes of Raúl, Alfredo Di Stéfano, and Ferenc Puskás.
Thank you to the Guiness World Records. Always good to be recognized as a world record breaker. Let’s keep trying to set the numbers even higher!💪🏽 pic.twitter.com/qswCiXnRGh
— Cristiano Ronaldo (@Cristiano) September 5, 2021
The Portuguese star has not only achieved success for himself, but has been able to impact the beautiful game as well. Everytime there’s a skillful, flashy young winger bursting onto the scene, he is automatically touted as the next Ronaldo like fellow Portuguese internationals Nani and Joao Felix. He’s also been an idol to many young footballers that have grown up watching the man. Players like Erling Haaland, Joao Felix, and Alejandro Garnacho alongside the Real Madrid trio of Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Jr and Endrick have all idolized the Portuguese icon growing up.
His impact on the game was the most prominent when he joined Riyadh-based Al-Nassr in December 2022 to play in the Saudi Pro League. His move attracted the country’s Public Investment Fund to invest in the four founding clubs of the league which led to the Saudi Pro League disrupting European football and prizing away bonafide stars like Karim Benzema, Neymar, N’Golo Kante, Sadio Mane and many more. Both established and young players were being drawn to the riches of the Saudi Pro League, something that wouldn’t have been possible without the presence of a certain CR7.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s Off the field impact
Ronaldo is the most famous personality to come out of Portugal. (Photo by Octavio Passos/Getty Images)
While the 39-year-old is undoubtedly a legend on the field, the impact he’s created is not just limited to the beautiful game. He’s a superstar in every sense of the word and that was evidenced by his Youtube channel reaching one million subscribers within 90 minutes of launching. It took him less time to reach a million subscribers than it takes to finish a football game nowadays.
Being a global icon, he uses his reach to help better the world and is particularly involved in children’s charities, possibly stemming from the fact that he himself had a very tough childhood. Apart from being brought up in poverty, he almost couldn’t play football due to a rare heart condition, Tachycardia, which would make his heart beat irregularly. To help those in need, Ronaldo serves as the brand ambassador for charities like Save the Children, World Vision, and as well as UNICEF.
Having lost his father at a young age due to alcohol related issues, he vowed never to have alcohol and takes healthcare extremely seriously. During the covid-19 pandemic, when the world was in crisis, Ronaldo personally donated $1.08 million to three separate hospitals in Portugal that were helping in fighting the war against the pandemic. He even donated a generous sum of money to the hospital that helped his mother recover from cancer.
It took @MrBeast 132 days to reach 𝟏𝟎 𝐌𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐈𝐎𝐍 subscribers on YouTube and become the fastest to reach this milestone.
Cristiano Ronaldo just broke the record by reaching 𝟏𝟎 𝐌𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐈𝐎𝐍 subscribers in less than 12 hours. 🤯🤯🤯 pic.twitter.com/a0B1JhMX9v
— TCR. (@TeamCRonaldo) August 22, 2024
He is someone who always makes sure to take care of anyone in need and has helped out several fans with life-changing operations. He keeps himself tattoo free so that he is always eligible to donate blood, and that came in handy when his Portugal teammate Carlos Martins son was diagnosed with a rare blood disease. He even decided to become a bone marrow doner following this incident.
Ronaldo often uses his footballing achievements to help out others as well. When the entire Portuguese team qualified for the UEFA Euro 2020, he rallied the entire national squad behind him to donate 50% of their qualifying bonus to combat the covid-19 virus. Back in 2011, when the forward was awarded the European golden boot after scoring 40 goals that season, he chose to auction the trophy and proceeded to donate the £1.2million the boot fetched towards building schools in Gaza.
All his achievements and gestures have made him into a very intriguing and interesting personality, so much so that University of British Columbia introduced a sociology class on Cristiano Ronaldo in their fourth-year module in 2015. While he will always be remembered in his home country, in 2016 it was made sure that even visitors never forget about him while visiting one of the busiest airports in the country, Madeira International Airport Cristiano Ronaldo.
From sweeping the streets of Madeira to sweeping away trophies, his journey to stardom has been an unforgettable one for everyone involved. Football Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
