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Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro was born on February 5, 1985, in Madeira, Portugal to Maria Dolores dos Santos Aveiro and José Diniz Aveiro. Cristiano has an elder brother, Hugo and two elder sisters, Elma and Liliana Cátia. His name was inspired by the former US-president, Ronald Reagan, whom his father was influenced by.
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At age 16, Ronaldo was promoted from Sporting's youth team by first-team manager to play for the First team. He subsequently became the first player to play for the club's under-16, under-17 and under-18 teams, the B team, and the first team, all within one season
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Ronaldo came to the attention of Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson in August 2003, when Sporting defeated United 3–1 at the inauguration of the Estádio José Alvalade in Lisbon. His performance impressed the Manchester United players, who urged Ferguson to sign him. Manchester paid £12 million (over $14 million U.S. dollars) to sign him, a record fee for a player of his age.
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2006–07 season proved to be Ronaldo's breakout year as he broke the 20-goal barrier for the first time and won his first Premier League title. Ronaldo was named the Premier League Player of the Month in November and December, becoming only the third player to receive consecutive honors.
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In 2007–08 Season, Ronaldo scored 42 League and Cup goals and earned the Golden Shoe award as Europe’s leading scorer, with 31 League goals. After helping United to a Champions League title in May 2008, Ronaldo captured Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) World Player of the Year honors for his stellar 2007–08 season.
