The Many Colors of Cristiano Ronaldo
Ronaldo’s bumpy road to stardom
As the sun sets, the temperature begins its gradual descent, dropping throughout the night until the early morning hours when it reaches its lowest point just before the sun graces the horizon. Much like enduring a cold and dark night, facing difficult moments or trials may evoke a similar sensation. It's as if we are holding out for the first glimmer of sunlight. Just when the cold and darkness feel almost unbearable, that's precisely when we catch a hopeful glimpse of the light.
Dolores Aveiro likely felt like she was alone in the middle of a cold night when she found out she was pregnant with her fourth child. She already had three other children and was living in poverty, working as a cook and cleaner. Her husband was an alcoholic and wasn’t around enough to help with the children. She decided she wanted to abort the baby and tried to do so with a home recipe, but failed. Doctors also refused to perform an abortion due to laws in Portugal at the time. In due time, she birthed the baby and named him Cristiano Ronaldo.
As a footballer, Cristiano had a lot to live up to with a name like Ronaldo. He’s 100% surpassed those expectations as a five-time Ballon d’Or winner with 35 trophies to his name, including five Champions Leagues. Some may even say he’s the most recognizable person in the world as the most followed person on Instagram. He’s also one of only eight current or former athletes who are now billionaires.
He and Messi are considered the best two players to ever play the game. Ronaldo has scored 873 goals and counting and was the top goal scorer in the world in 2023 with 54 in 59 appearances at the age of 38.
Though he may not be competing in the top leagues in the world and may have lost a half step, Ronaldo is still as demanding on himself and his teammates as ever. He expects perfection and doesn’t mind if it drives people away. He has said, “I don’t mind people hating me because it pushes me.”
Ronaldo’s road to stardom hasn’t been easy. He’s had to overcome a lot of challenges, some self-inflicted, to make it where he is today.
Humble Beginnings
Before the fame and glory was a very humble beginning. Ronaldo was born in 1985 in Madeira, a chain of islands in the North Atlantic about 430 miles off the coast of Morocco. A part of Portugal, Madeira has a population of just over 250,000 who adore Ronaldo. Everywhere you go you will see Ronaldo apparel. Even the airport is named after him with a statue and museum to welcome any visitors that fly in.
Ronaldo’s father had mental health challenges after fighting for the Portuguese Army during the Angolan War. He struggled with alcoholism and would often go to a bar every day, leaving Ronaldo’s mother to take care of the family.
Growing up in poverty wasn’t the easiest for Ronaldo. He has told a story about taking his son back to his childhood home. His son, who lives in luxury properties on three different continents, could not believe his father used to live in such a humble home.
When Ronaldo was 12 years old, he left home for Lisbon to play for a youth academy. He has told stories of how he and his teammates would go to the local McDonald’s late at night and knock on the back door asking employees if they had any leftover hamburgers. There were a few employees who would always give them food.
Anger Issues
Ronaldo has always had trouble controlling his anger. You can see it when he plays, but it also showed up in his schooling. He was given the nickname ‘crybaby’ at school because he would cry when he didn’t get his way. He was once expelled from school for throwing a chair at a teacher because he felt he had been disrespected.
Receiving respect is a big thing for Ronaldo. In an interview with Piers Morgan, he said his most recent stint at Manchester United went sour because the coach didn’t show him any respect. It was the nail in the coffin and Ronaldo didn’t play another game for United after that. The interview was calculated, but if Ronaldo is being honest with himself, I think he would have liked to stay at United.
Ronaldo wasn’t too concerned with schooling. At age 14, he dropped out of school to focus solely on football. Ronaldo’s mother knew football had to work out for him. In a 2021 interview, she said Ronaldo was destined to be a bricklayer if football wasn’t in the cards.
Shortly after dropping out of school, football seemed to be at risk when Ronaldo was diagnosed with tachycardia. The condition causes the heart to race at over 100 beats per minute. Luckily for Ronaldo, it is a treatable condition and he was able to have a procedure done to alter his resting heart rate. He resumed his training just a few days later. Fortunately for Ronaldo, his football career took off. He made his big move to Manchester United and the rest is history.
Legal Troubles
Ronaldo hasn’t made life easy for himself off the field though due to his fair share of legal troubles. First, in 2005 he was investigated after rape allegations made by two women. They both withdrew their statements and the police declared there wasn’t enough evidence to prosecute.
Four years later, Ronaldo’s name came up again in another rape allegation, this time in Las Vegas. Transcripts and accounts of what happened are eye-opening, but documents confirmed by Ronaldo’s lawyers show the woman was paid $375,000 in a non-disclosure settlement. In 2019, Las Vegas prosecutors said they wouldn’t charge Ronaldo since it couldn’t be proven without a reasonable doubt. In 2018, the woman who made the allegations filed a civil lawsuit, but in 2022 it was dismissed due to the woman’s lawyer's use of “cyber-hacked attorney–client privileged documents.”
Ronaldo may have gotten away relatively unscathed from his rape allegations, but he did get charged with tax evasion in Spain for withholding almost €15 million between 2011 and 2014. In 2018, Ronaldo received a two-year, suspended jail sentence and a fine of almost €17 million. Ronaldo didn’t have to spend time in jail, instead serving the time under probation.
Family Tragedy
If there is one thing Ronaldo cares more about than his successes on the field it is his family. He has said raising his five children with his long-term girlfriend, Georgina Rodriguez, is the greatest privilege of his life. In 2022, they were preparing to have twins when they lost one of their babies during childbirth.
Rodriquez shared in her Netflix documentary how the moment was so confusing emotionally. On the one hand, they were celebrating the birth of their new daughter and on the other, they were mourning the loss of their son. Ronaldo said of the moment, “It’s the greatest pain a parent can feel.”
Just as Ronaldo wishes he could have saved his son, he wishes he could have saved his father. His father never saw all the successes he accomplished because he died of liver failure just as Ronaldo’s ascent was beginning. Ronaldo longed to make his father proud and wished he had seen his successes saying, “My father, he saw nothing. He died young, but it is what it is.”
Ronaldo looks back at his father’s memory and regrets that he didn't get to know him better. Ronaldo has said, “I really don’t know my father 100%. He was a drunk person. I never spoke with him, like a normal conversation. It was hard.”
Giving Back
Ronaldo makes a lot of money, but he also does his part to give back. In 2010, Ronaldo donated €100,000 to build a new cancer treatment center in Madeira. It was named after his father and provides free treatment to patients.
He is an ambassador and spokesperson for major charities including Save the Children, UNICEF, and World Vision. He has sold multiple trophies for his individual awards to raise money for organizations such as the Make-A-Wish Foundation and to build schools in war-torn Gaza. He also donated over $1 million to Portuguese causes and COVID-19 sufferers during the pandemic. Perhaps Ronaldo’s shortcomings and losses are why he is so giving–it’s one of the things he can control.
The complexity of Ronaldo
Ronaldo's journey is remarkable. He’s a complex human who has had incredible sporting success but also has parts of his life he'd want to bury in the cold, dark night for no one to see. The polarizing sides of his story are what make his life so interesting. It brings out every type of feeling from hope to disgust to euphoria. Just like his mother, Ronaldo has made it to sunrise and we’re here to witness all its colors.