MAIN Sports Sports Stars Cristiano Ronaldo

Portuguese and Manchester United's young sensation Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro was born February 5, 1985 in Funchal the capital of the island of Madeira in Portugal.

Maria Dolores dos Santos Aveiro and Jose Diniz Aveiro were Cristiano Ronaldo's parents. He has three siblings. The name Ronaldo is not very common in Portugal. His father choose it in honor of Ronald Reagan, his favorite actor!

Although not much is known about his private life, he was granted compassionate leave when his father, Dinis Aveiro, died in in September 2005.

Most of the fan sites claim there is no steady relationship claiming the attentions of this attractive footballer, but he has dated a bevy of beautiful girlfriends ranging from TV presenter Merche Romero to socialite Paris Hilton and tennis star Maria Sharapova.

He drives a silver Porsche, but that doesn't interfere with him acting as a spokesperson for Suzuki cars. One fan site reports that his favorite meal is Bacalhau à Brás - Portuguese Scrambled Eggs with Salt Cod and Potatoes.

He began his career in Portugal at Nacional before moving to the Super Liga team, Sporting Lisbon.

He holds a record at Sporting as the only footballer to play for the Under-18, Under-21, B team, and first team all in one season. His debut match for the Portuguese powerhouse team came at the young age of 17 in September 2002.

His performance on the soccer field drew attention from international premiership teams. Liverpool considered him as a recruit, but decided to wait until he was more seasoned.

Manchester United stepped in and signed the young star in the summer of 2003 for £12.24 million (approximately $22 million US)...and the rest is history.

He was named FIFPro Special Young Player of the Year 2005, the only award to be voted for by fans, and also ranked 20th in the FIFA Player of the Year standings that year.

Ronaldo played a key part in Portugal's 2006 World Cup bid, where he linked up with legends such as Luís Figo, and other bright stars such as Anderson Deco and Pauleta.

In 2007, at the ripe old age of 22, an autobiography entitled "Moments" was published detailing his childhood, the lose of his father, as well as professional and personal triumphs.

Although his next performance was highly anticipated the world stage, the football superstar failed to make an impact at the 2010 World Cup which saw Portugal go down in ultimate defeat against that year's World Cup champs Spain.

That same summer Madame Tussauds London unveiled Ronaldo's waxwork as part of the build-up to the World Cup as Ronaldo joined fellow footballers Steven Gerrard, Pelé and David Beckham at the event's venue.

More news came a month later when Ronaldo announced that he had become a father to a baby boy via a Twitter posting on July 3, 2010. The child, who was born to an anonymous American mother, is presently in full custody of Ronaldo.

Ronaldo is currently dating supermodel Irina Shayk, the 2011 Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue cover girl.

More about Christiano Ronaldo around the Web:

Manchester United - Cristiano Ronaldo - The official team site with news and updates, personal profile, photos and videos.

Cristiano Ronaldo - Wikipedia - The complete biography of his soccer career, photo, related links.

Cristiano Ronaldo Fan Site - Busy forum plus bio with personal info, plenty of photos, wallpapers and a great selection of quotes, related links.

7fromHeaven - Another big fan site with Cristiano Ronaldo wallpapers, picture galleries, tributes, trivia and vital stats, biography, news.

#7 Cristiano Ronaldo | Forward - Bio, profile, history, stats and game log from ESPN

Cristiano Ronaldo Videos - Google videos has quite a few that focus on this winger's play.

also see -> David Beckham | Michael Owen | Ronaldo

Ronaldinho | Soccer | FIFA World Cup