CRISTIANO RONALDO, THE HIGHEST PAID FOOTBALLER

Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro, commonly known as Cristiano Ronaldo or Cristian Ronaldo, is a Portuguese football (soccer) player for the Spain's Real Madrid team who plays as a winger or a forward. He played for the UK's Manchester United previously and also serves as the captain of the Portuguese national team. In late 2009, Ronaldo currently holds the distinction of being the most expensive player in football history after being transferred from Manchester United to Real Madrid in a transfer deal worth £80 million (US$ 132 m). In addition, his contract with Real Madrid, in which he is to be paid £11 million per year over the following six years, makes him the highest paid football player in the world.
Ronaldo's autobiography, titled Moments, was published in December 2007.

Cristiano Ronaldo was born on born 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.
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 CP, who subsequently signed him for an undisclosed sum. In 1997, he made a move to Portuguese giants Sporting CP.
Ronaldo's precocious talent caught the attention of Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson and he signed the 18-year-old for £12.24 million in 2003. The following season, Ronaldo won his first club honour, the FA Cup, and reached the Euro 2004 final with Portugal, in which tournament he scored his first international goal. In 2008, Ronaldo won the Champions League with United, and was named player of the tournament. He was named the World Player of the Year and the FIFA World Player of the Year, in addition to becoming Manchester United's first Ballon d'Or winner in 40 years. Three-time Ballon d'Or winner Johan Cruyff said in an interview on 2 April 2008, "Ronaldo is better than George Best and Denis Law, who were two brilliant and great players in the history of United.

Ronaldo's father, José Dinis Aveiro, died of alcoholism at age 52 when Ronaldo was 20. Ronaldo has claimed not to drink alcohol as a result, and has received libel damages over a Daily Mirror that reported him drinking heavily in a nightclub while recovering from an injury in July 2008.

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.
In support of the victims of the 2010 Madeira flood, Ronaldo is to play in a charity match in Madeira between the Portuguese Liga club Porto and players from Madeiran based Portuguese Liga clubs Marítimo and Nacional.
On 9 June 2010, Madame Tussauds London unveiled Ronaldo's waxwork as part of the build-up to the World Cup. Ronaldo joins fellow footballers Steven Gerrard, Pelé, David Beckham at the events venue.
On 3 July 2010, Ronaldo announced that he had become a father. Cristiano Ronaldo Facebook and Twitter pages reference the birth of his son and request privacy. The child, who was born to an anonymous American mother, is in full custody of Ronaldo, and named as Cristiano Ronaldo too.