Being the best at anything that we do is something that we all hope for.
For most of us it may seem out of reach but for others it’s a must. Cristiano
Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro was born on February 5, 1985 in Funchal, Madeira,
Portugal. His desire to become the best in the world has not gone unrecognized
with people claiming that he is currently the best soccer player on the planet
and one of the greatest of all time.
Breaking records is one
of the hardest things to do in soccer but for Ronaldo it’s something he does on
a regular basis. In 1997 at just the age of 12 Ronaldo began his soccer career
at Sporting CP the largest soccer club in Portugal. At such a young age clubs
were already seeing the great potential in the young Portuguese. In 2002 he was
already breaking records becoming the first person in Sporting CP history to
play in their under-16, under-17, under-18, B-team and the first time all in
the same season. His hard work and dedication allowed him to moving up in the
ranks and he was only 17 years old. In 2003 Sir Alex Ferguson manager of
Manchester United, the largest club in England had signed the 18 year old
Ronaldo for £12.2 million making Ronaldo the world’s most expensive teenager.
There’s a huge number of records that he has set making him one of the greats
of all time.
During his time at
Manchester United Ronaldo broke multiple records including the all-time Premier
League goal scorer with 31 goals in the league and 42 in all competition which
he set in 2008 tied with George best. The Premier League is known for being the
hardest league to play in so scoring 31 goals in a single season for a player
is incredible. Also in this same year Ronaldo enjoyed his most successful year for
his club and for him individually. Winning the Champions League, the most important
trophy for a club, the Club World cup and many more. Individually Ronaldo won
the European Golden Boot for most goals and the FIFA-Ballon d’or (an award
given to the best player) making him the best player on the planet in 2008. The
way Ronaldo was able to come up from nothing to become the best player was
amazing.
Change is hard for some
people, having to adapt to their new surroundings, make new friend and
sometimes learn a whole new language. In 2009 Ronaldo made a decision that
changed the world of soccer, to leave United and join his childhood dream club
and the greatest club on the planet (according to FIFA), Real Madrid in Spain.
Real Madrid paid United €94 million to acquire the services of Cristiano Ronaldo
making him the most expensive player in the world. His first season with the
Spanish giants was a struggle for him as he only scored 33 goals in all
competition the lowest he has ever scored since the 2006/07 season. Even for
the former best player in the world transition is something that takes time.
Constantly working hard to become the best is the way
that Ronaldo lives his life. Over the past five years with Real Madrid,
Ronaldo’s goal to game ratio is unbelievable with 274 goals in 261 games that’s
over 1.04 goals a game. His ability to adjust to a new league was amazing. In
2013 Ronaldo regained his throne as the world’s best player winning the
FIFA-Ballon d’or for a second time becoming the first Portuguese player to win
twice. As Ronaldo says “Every season is
a new challenge to me, and I always set out to improve in terms of games,
goals, assists.”(Brainy Quotes). He is determined to be the best working hard
every season proving this true in each game that he plays.
It’s not all about records that make Ronaldo one of the
greatest player on the planet it’s his style of play. His pace, power,
technique, dribble and his skill set him apart from the average player. His ability
to outpace his opponent, to control the ball in a confined space and be able to
shot the ball at over 80 miles per hour are just some of the traits at make him
an unstoppable player on the pitch. His style of play has been compared to some
the greatest player of all time some of which are George Best, Denis Law, Johan
Cruyff, Bobby Charlton, Ronaldinho and many other legends. Changing the way the
world sees soccer introducing new method to take on an opponent, new ways that
the new generations had never seen.
Having competition is something we all hate especially
when you try your hardest but end up losing. This is the way Ronaldo felt
through the years of 2009-2013 as Lionel Messi was named the world’s best
player winning the FIFA-Ballon d’or four consecutive times. The talks of who is
the best between Messi and Ronaldo had forced Ronaldo to step up his game to
the next level. He scored 55 goals in all competition and a record 34 league
goals in the 2012/13 season. This had given him enough to win the 2013
FIFA-Ballon d’or ending Messi’s streak. His hard work and dedication had lead
him to once again becoming the best.
Currently in the season of 2014/15 he is the top scorer
of La Liga (Spanish soccer league) with 18 goals in 11 games played (Real
Madrid CF). At this rate he is predicted to score over 60 goals and set
incredible records and possibly be on this way to a third FIFA-Ballon d’or (Real
Madrid CF). At the age of just 29 Ronaldo has won every title at club level and
a numerous amount of individual awards and has proven to be the best in the
world and one of the best of all time.
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