What makes Ronaldo so good?
Ronaldo has struggled to the top of world football from humbl origins in Madeira. With him onside can Portugal hope to win the 2014 World Cup?
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In January Portuguese President Anibal Cavaco Silva, awarded Cristiano Ronaldo with the Ordem do Infante Dom Henrique, one of the country’s most prestigious honours.
During the ceremony, Silva said Ronaldo had brought Portugal worldwide attention due to his mesmerising feats on the football field.
He praised his hard work, self-discipline and determination, adding that the player was a fine role model for youngsters.
Ronaldo said he was proud to receive the prize and he would continue to strive for more success.
The ceremony, with all the pomp and circumstance of dignitaries and lavish surroundings, was a far cry from his origins.
Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro was born in Santo Antonio , a district of Funchal, on the island of Madeira in February 1985.
He was the fourth child of Maria Dolores dos Santos Aveiro, a cook and her gardener husband, Jose Dinis Aveiro.
He was given the name Ronaldo because the American president at the time - Ronald Reagan – was his father’s favourite actor.
Ronaldo says he remembers his young days as something of a struggle. He had to sleep in the same room as his siblings.
His rise to his present greatness as world footballer of the year started at the age of eight, at the Clube de Futebol Andorinha de Santo António, where his father was the kit manager.
Two years later he turned out for Clube Desportivo Nacional and his performances there attracted attention from Sporting Clube de Portugal.
In 2003, barely 18-years-old, Ronaldo signed for Manchester United, one of the world’s most famous clubs. United paid 15 million euros to Sporting Lisbon for his services.
The first season in the English top flight was a mixed bag.
There were definite signs that the money hadn’t been wasted but it was clear from the teenager’s performances that the United manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, needed to help Ronaldo exploit the abundant talent to service the team.
Success for Ronaldo and United came in 2004 with the FA Cup and in the 2004 Euros in his native Portugal, he scored his first international goal and showed he could be the natural heir to the likes of Luis Figo and Manuel Rui Costa.
The prizes haven’t stopped coming for Ronaldo.
In 2007, after Manchester United claimed their first league title for three years, he was the first player in England to win all four awards given by his fellow professionals, the fans and the football writers.
United retained their title as Ronaldo amassed 42 goals during the season and won their second Uefa Champions League at the expense of Chelsea.
There were more individual prizes in England and the ultimate accolade - Fifa world player of the year. The boy from Madeira was having his cake with icing.
What makes Ronaldo so good?
He’s big, strong and quick is the short answer.
The refinements are that he can run with the ball on either foot, can play across the front line, is good in the air and can strike a mean free kick.
After six years in Manchester, Ronaldo was lured to Real Madrid.
The Spanish giants paid 94 million euros, making him the most expensive footballer in the world. A 12-million-a-year salary would distance the memories of his impoverished childhood.
But all the glitter brings pressure.
Ronaldo has responded to it with a bewildering appetite.
In the 2010-2011 season he scored a record 53 goals, thereby breaking the mark of 49 set for Real by Ferenc Puskás four decades earlier.
The following season, Ronaldo showed it was no fluke.
He hit 46 league goals and 60 goals in all competitions.
He’s collected a second Fifa world footballer of year award and just before the World Cup, he scored in the last minute as Real Madrid won the Uefa Champions League 4-1 against the city rivals Atletico.
It was his second triumph in the competition and Real’s 10th.
A fitting platform for the World Cup.
Usually the squad with the most discipline and harmony wins the tournament.
Occasionally a side with one bright inspirational light claims the crown.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal could be that side.
If Portugal were to win the final on 13 July at the Maracana in Rio, it would be their first World Cup.
President Silva may well have to create a prize even more prestigious than the Ordem do Infante Dom Henrique for Ronaldo and his team.
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