CRISTIANO RONALDO DOS Santos Aveiro was born on 5 February 1985 to parents Maria Dolores and Jose Dinis. He is the youngest of four children, joining sisters Cátia and Elma and brother Hugo; this family unit offered Cristiano stability throughout his youth.
He grew up in the town of Santo Antonio in Funchal, the capital of Portuguese island Madeira. Funchal has a population of approximately 104,000 and is named after its mass production of fennel (‘funcho’ in Portuguese). His upbringing could not be described as privileged, despite his proximity to some of Funchal’s more prosperous areas, including the lavish hotels on the seafront. The family bungalow was rather small, making conditions cramped at home – in fact the house was so crowded that the washing machine was kept on the roof. Ronaldo spent plenty of time with his siblings, who remember a very happy childhood with him. Cristiano always had a smile on his face.
His mother, Dolores, worked as a cleaner while Dinis, his father, was a council gardener. It was a humble beginning for Ronaldo but it taught him the value of family and the importance of hard work. He developed a strong bond with his parents – he quotes his mother as his greatest support and inspiration – and both encouraged him to become involved in football and to make the most of his considerable talents. His parents had marked him out for stardom. The ‘Ronaldo’ part of his name is taken from the US President Ronald Reagan – not through his parents’ love of politics but because Cristiano’s father admired Reagan’s acting ability. Perhaps he was destined to find fame. Also, it just so happened that a young Brazilian would later burst onto the world stage and make the name Ronaldo famous.
However, despite his tightly knit family, growing up was not easy for Cristiano. His father suffered with a drinking problem that put a strain on daily life and caused a lot of pain for those close to him. As Dolores told the Daily Mirror, ‘Time and time again Cristiano offered to pay to get him treatment but Dinis kept on drinking.’ Dinis’s dependence on alcohol was a worrying situation that stayed with Ronaldo throughout his childhood.
The problem would eventually escalate to the point where Dolores felt that Dinis could not be helped and so the pair decided to separate. Although the split was amicable and both continued to live in Funchal, the difficulties in his parents’ marriage deeply affected Ronaldo. Being away from Madeira at the time, the news was even harder to take.
Cristiano was blessed with sporting ability from a young age and he grew up in a family that encouraged this – his father followed football with great interest. Ronaldo’s skinny, athletic frame ensured that he was rarely far from a ball during his early days and his family soon knew that a career in sport was going to be the likely future for him. His energy would not fit well with other professions and he lived for the thrill of competition.
Football became a driving force in his formative years. Scattered around Funchal, dusty football courts and pitches provided Ronaldo with his first sporting experiences. It was fiercely competitive, as Cristiano sought to outperform his friends. Yet the nature of the matches – informal and pressure-free – allowed the youngsters to develop their own strengths and style of play. There was no tension and no one told him what he should or shouldn’t do on the pitch. Ronaldo would do whatever it took to fit in an extra game of football, whether that was skipping meals at home, sneaking out of his bedroom window or simply spending hours out in the summer sun on the football court in search of a match.
In England, talented youngsters are joining academies at increasingly young ages and the emphasis is on getting the basics right. Many have accused domestic clubs of ignoring flair in favour of a more traditional approach. Other countries certainly appear to develop more flamboyant, skilful youngsters and maybe the street football culture that Cristiano grew up with has an impact on this. Looking back a little further into the history of British football, many of the best players learned their trade in street football. After all, there are countless stories of George Best’s displays in the streets of Belfast. This element has been lost since the notion of academies has emerged in Britain.
Ronaldo’s neighbours were older boys who inevitably represented team-mates and opponents in informal kickabouts. Despite being younger, his fierce will to win meant he never gave an inch against bigger, stronger players. It is a familiar story among professional footballers – a childhood spent playing against much older boys – and it stood him in good stead for future challenges. Even before he joined his first youth team, he was a regular on a makeshift football court in his hometown. On the hard surface of the local court, Ronaldo experienced those initial feelings inspired by football – camaraderie, the joy of victory, the pain of defeat.
As his godfather Fernao Sousa observed, while Ronaldo was like any other youngster in terms of character, on the football pitch he was streets ahead. Sousa told the BBC, ‘He was better at football than the other kids, he had better control, better kicking, better dribbling.’ So often – too often – players are said to have a natural, God-given talent. In Ronaldo’s case it is undeniable and he himself acknowledges that his skills are a quality that he was born with. The quickness of his feet combined with his co-ordination and balance made him a joy to watch, even as a boy on the courts of Funchal.
As is often the case with talented young footballers, Ronaldo quickly began playing for an amateur team, CF Andorinha. For him, this was the beginning of an incredible journey. His father doubled as the team kit man and was able to watch Cristiano’s progress up close, full of pride – the pair were inseparable. Ronaldo learned plenty of valuable lessons there that would serve him well for the bigger stage. Working with a coach at Andorinha taught Cristiano plenty about the tactical side of the sport. He worked hard to improve the weaker areas of his game while maintaining his irrepressible desire to win and entertain at every possible opportunity.
While subconsciously he may have held ambitions for a wider audience, seeing the young Ronaldo in the green of Andorinha was to catch sight of a boy on cloud nine and in love with the game. Immediately, his dribbling and technique made him stand out and his colleagues found Ronaldo a formidable opponent. Frequently, opposition defenders were left cursing him after being humiliated by his footwork. His pace was also an asset that he developed early and it gave him an added advantage over others.
As well as his greater natural talent, his attitude to his football stood out as very different. No game was a mere kickabout to him – his desire to win at every opportunity marked him out as a future professional and would be crucial in his quick improvements. His determination was there for all to see and his first ever football coach, Sardinha Afonso, remembers him as a ‘fighter’. Speaking to the BBC, Club President of Andorinha, Rui Santos, added, ‘He had many qualities but mainly it was his disgust at losing a match.’ Losing became harder and harder to take as Cristiano moved up the levels of youth football.
It was only a matter of time before big things happened for Ronaldo. Reflecting on what football means to him, he says, ‘Football for me is synonymous with happiness and spectacle. That’s what I try to show. I don’t know how to explain the tricks, they’re just part of me.’ This approach to the sport allows Cristiano to play with a smile on his face, despite the obvious pressure that comes with a career as a professional footballer.
At the age of ten, he had attracted the attention of Madeira’s top sides. His performances for Andorinha had been good and his natural talent was there for all to see. As is normal in the world of football, any star performer at a small club quickly attracts the attention of the bigger, more powerful clubs. Ronaldo’s case was no different. It is reflective of the state of football today that even ten-year-olds – and plenty even younger – are coveted by top clubs hoping to unearth the next child sensation. While Ronaldo had the support of his parents, everything was moving extremely fast for him.
Both Maritimo and Nacional – the two main clubs on the island – expressed an interest in Ronaldo and he was naturally flattered by the attention. This was serious business and, even for a ten-year-old, the path towards professional football was becoming evident. Maritimo made the first move, setting up a meeting with the Andorinha manager, Rui Santos. But when the Maritimo manager missed the meeting, it was decided that Ronaldo’s future lay at Nacional. Maritimo would rue missing that opportunity for years to come.
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