Cristiano Ronaldo has been a superstar on and off the pitch for quite some time. Yet his immense popularity has not waned with time, and fans are still craving more information on the Portuguese star’s personal and professional life. Ronaldo is the most followed person on Instagram, and he has continued to break records on the football pitch too. In this article, we will take a look at five interesting facts about Cristiano Ronaldo.
#5 First person to win Puskas award
In 2009, FIFA decided to create an award to appreciate the best goal of the year. The award was named the “Puskas award” after the legendary Hungarian striker Ferenc Puskas. Puskas was both a great goalscorer and a scorer of great goals. Hence, it is a great honour to win an award named after him.
At Manchester United, Cristiano Ronaldo won the first-ever Puskas award for his absolute thunderbolt against Porto. Ronaldo picked the ball far away from the box and unleashed a powerful shot. The Porto goalkeeper had no chance as the ball thudded into the top left corner with such venom.
#4 Ronaldo to Arsenal almost happened
When Ronaldo was rising through the ranks in Portugal, two clubs followed his development closely. One, as we all know, is Manchester United. The Red Devils went on to sign him and the rest is history. However, Arsene Wenger too was keen on signing Ronaldo.
Arsenal’s missed chance to sign a bonafide legend had long been in the rumour mill before Ronaldo himself confirmed the story. In an interview to Piers Morgan, Ronaldo admitted that he was very close to wearing an Arsenal shirt. He also added that he has a lot of respect for the club and Arsene Wenger.
#3 His strict fitness routine
In a recent press conference, Ronaldo removed two coke bottles in front of him and received a lot of praise for his actions. But he has not always been a fitness freak and has promoted soft drinks in the past. However, with age, he became obsessed with his daily diet and now follows a very strict protocol. He eats only raw chicken and drinks a lot of water. He also does not consume alcohol or any caffeinated beverages.
#2 Expelled at the age of 14
It is now well known that Ronaldo had humble beginnings and was raised in the Portugal island of Madeira. He was not particularly good at education and often got into trouble at school. At the age of 14, he lost his cool and threw a chair at a school teacher.
He was expelled for his actions but Ronaldo claimed that the teacher had disrespected him. However, he used this incident to focus more on his playing career, rather than worrying about his future.
#1 The reason behind his name
Ronaldo is quite an unusual name for a Portuguese child born in the ’80s and there is the reason for that. During 1985, Ronald Reagan was the president of United States and he was a popular figure across the world. Reagan was also famous for his work as an actor in Hollywood movies.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s father was a fan of Reegan and hence decided to name his son after the former president of the United States. In 1985, He would not have known that his son would one day eclipse the popularity of Ronald Reagan and attain immortal status among athletes.
