Portuguese soccer celebrity Cristiano Ronaldo, at the moment taking part in for Saudi membership Al-Nassr, is celebrating his fortieth birthday at present.
Ronaldo concluded his thirty ninth yr in stellar style, scoring twice in Al-Nassr’s 4-0 victory over UAE’s Al-Wasl on Monday throughout the seventh spherical of the AFC Champions League Elite. These targets raised his profession tally to 923, leaving him simply 77 targets shy of his formidable goal of 1,000 profession targets.
Regardless of his quite a few achievements, Ronaldo stays assured in his standing as the best soccer participant in historical past. In an interview with Spanish TV channel La Sexta on Tuesday, he said, “I’m the best participant in historical past. Though I’m not left-footed, I’m among the many high ten aim scorers with my left foot of all time. The numbers converse for themselves. I’m probably the most full participant ever.”
He added, “I’m sturdy in aerial duels, I take free kicks nicely, I’m quick, highly effective, and I can leap. I haven’t seen anybody higher than me.” Ronaldo has beforehand expressed that he believes he’ll finish his profession as the perfect soccer participant in historical past.
A Storied Profession Spanning Two A long time
Born on February 5, 1985, Ronaldo started his skilled profession with Sporting Lisbon earlier than becoming a member of Manchester United in 2003. He gained the FA Cup in his first season with the English membership and went on to safe three consecutive Premier League titles, a UEFA Champions League title, and a FIFA Membership World Cup.
At 23, Ronaldo gained his first Ballon d’Or. In 2009, he turned the most costly participant in soccer historical past on the time, transferring to Actual Madrid for €94 million (£80 million). He shortly turned a key participant, forming a formidable attacking trio with Karim Benzema and Gareth Bale, main Actual Madrid to 4 Champions League titles between 2014 and 2018.
Throughout this era, Ronaldo gained the Ballon d’Or in 2013 and 2014, and once more in 2016 and 2017, whereas ending as runner-up to his long-time rival Lionel Messi on three events. He turned Actual Madrid’s all-time main scorer and the highest scorer in Champions League historical past, ending because the competitors’s high scorer for six consecutive seasons from 2012 to 2018.
Ronaldo’s tenure at Actual Madrid noticed him carry 4 Champions League titles, two La Liga titles, two Copa del Rey trophies, two UEFA Tremendous Cups, and three FIFA Membership World Cups.
A Journey By means of Europe and Past
In 2018, Ronaldo signed with Juventus in a €100 million (£88 million) switch, marking the most costly signing of a participant over 30 in Italian soccer historical past. With Juventus, he gained two Serie A titles, two Italian Tremendous Cups, and the Coppa Italia, turning into the primary participant to high the scoring charts within the Premier League, La Liga, and Serie A.
Ronaldo returned to Manchester United in 2021, ending because the membership’s high scorer in his solely full season earlier than parting methods with the workforce in 2022. In 2023, he joined Al-Nassr, the place he continues to play.
A Legacy of Unparalleled Achievements
Ronaldo’s illustrious profession is adorned with quite a few particular person accolades, together with 5 Ballon d’Or awards, three UEFA Greatest Participant in Europe awards, and 4 European Golden Footwear. He has additionally been named FIFA’s Greatest Males’s Participant 5 occasions.
In whole, Ronaldo has gained 33 titles, together with seven league titles, 5 Champions League trophies, and two main worldwide titles with Portugal—the UEFA European Championship and the UEFA Nations League.
He holds the report for probably the most appearances within the Champions League (183 matches) and is the competitors’s all-time high scorer with 140 targets, alongside 42 assists. He additionally boasts probably the most appearances within the UEFA European Championship (30 matches) and is the event’s high scorer with 14 targets and eight assists.
Internationally, Ronaldo has represented Portugal in 217 matches, scoring 135 targets. He’s among the many uncommon gamers to have performed over 1,200 official matches. His worldwide debut got here in 2003 at 18, and he has participated in 11 main tournaments, scoring in 10 of them. His first worldwide aim got here throughout Euro 2004, the place he helped Portugal attain the ultimate.
Ronaldo was named Portugal’s captain in July 2008, and in 2015, he was honored as the best Portuguese participant of all time by the Portuguese Soccer Federation. The next yr, he led Portugal to their first main worldwide title, profitable Euro 2016 and incomes the Silver Boot because the event’s second-highest scorer.
Comply with Emirates 24|7 on Google Information.