Since bursting onto the scene in 2002, Cristiano Ronaldo has lit up Lisbon, enraptured Manchester, tumbled records in Madrid, shone in Saudi, conquered Europe for club and country, and is closing in on a scarcely-believable 1,000 career goals. The Portuguese superstar has achieved more than many players could ever dream of, apart from one thing: lead his nation to a maiden FIFA World Cup™ crown. Could 2026 be the year?
Ronaldo’s achievements and attributes
Ronaldo’s constant evolution has been a key reason behind his success and exceptional longevity. During his time at Manchester United, he transformed from a fleet-footed trickster into a deadly, goalscoring machine. He could rival anybody in football at shooting from range or scoring free-kicks, while he became a terrific header of the ball.
After winning nine trophies with United, he moved to Real Madrid in 2009 and elevated his game still further. Goals flew in at a rate of knots across domestic and European competition, with Ronaldo breaching the 50-goal mark five times. He departed the Spanish capital as Real’s all-time top scorer with 450 strikes in just 438 matches, and with 15 trophies in tow.
Ronaldo then spent three years with Juventus, spearheading the side to five titles before returning to Manchester United for an 18-month spell. Since January 2023, he has turned out for Saudi Pro League side Al Nassr, helping the Riyadh giants to the Arab Club Champions Cup that August.
Ronaldo tributes
“I have a lot of respect and admiration for Cristiano Ronaldo and for the career he’s had and continues to have, because he’s still competing at the highest level. He is a phenomenal player with a lot of quality. All the world knows, and that is why he is one of the best in the world.”
Lionel Messi
“He was a fantastic player, he was the best. We had fantastic players in [Paul] Scholes, [Ryan] Giggs, and [Eric] Cantona. We had some fantastic footballers, but Ronaldo was just something else.”
Alex Ferguson
“For three years from 2006 to 2009, Ronaldo set a standard you can only dream about. It was a magical time when he was playing with [Wayne] Rooney and Carlos Tevez; I’ve never seen anything like it. It was amazing to watch and he was the pinnacle of it.”
Gary Neville
“Cristiano Ronaldo’s first United game as a substitute in the season opener against Bolton was undoubtedly the most exciting debut performance I’ve ever seen. There have been a few players described as the new George Best over the years, but this is the first time it’s been a compliment to me.”
George Best
“I had to face him a lot of times and he’s one of the best players in history. He’s really complete, he knows how to score, assist, shoot free-kicks, penalties. He can do everything.”
Gerard Pique
“He’s one of the two aliens of planet football.”
Laurent Blanc
“He (Ronaldo) does things I have never seen from any other player, and it is marvellous to watch. It takes a great player to grab the bull by the horns and make things happen, but he has done it repeatedly.”
Bobby Charlton
“He has magic in his boots. The first thing you notice about him is that he is incredibly quick and very, very powerful for such a young man. He has great close control and his technique is excellent. He believes he can do anything with the ball, and that confidence makes him very special indeed.”
Eusebio
“When you play with Ronaldo on your team, you are already 1-0 up.”
Zinedine Zidane
Ronaldo trivia
He was born in Funchal on the island of Madeira, just off Portugal’s western coast. As a child he would sweep the streets in a bid to help provide for his family.
During his early days at Manchester United, Ronaldo tied weights to his ankles when practising step overs to make them easier to perform in a match. He quickly became known for the skill, and the famous ‘Ronaldo Chop’.
Outside of football, Ronaldo is a keen table tennis player. His former United team-mate Patrice Evra has stated that he set about improving his game after losing a match to Rio Ferdinand. After two weeks of practice, he challenged Ferdinand to another match and defeated him.
In a game against Sampdoria for Juventus in 2019, Ronaldo leapt 71 centimetres off the ground to meet an Alex Sandro cross at a height of 2.56 meters, before powering home a superb header to claim a 2-1 win. His coach Maurizio Sarri said he hung in the air for “infinite time”.
Ronaldo stats
Ronaldo’s World Cup history
Germany 2006 marked the start of Ronaldo’s FIFA World Cup™ journey. He netted his first tournament goal versus IR Iran and scored the decisive spot-kick in the quarter-final shootout win over England as Portugal recorded their best World Cup finish in 40 years by placing fourth.
Added pressure came with the captain’s armband at South Africa 2010, and while he managed a goal and an assist, it wasn’t enough to prevent a last-16 exit. He recorded the same return at Brazil 2014, as Portugal exited at the group stage.
Russia 2018 arguably marked Ronaldo at his indomitable peak, and the shape-shifting superstar enjoyed his finest tournament moment in the opener. A heroic hat-trick – completed by a last-gasp free-kick – saw Portugal earn a 3-3 draw with Spain, with Ronaldo following that up by netting the winner against Morocco. Once again, though, Portugal failed to go beyond the last 16.
Ronaldo made history just over an hour into his Qatar 2022 campaign. The forward powered home a trademark penalty to send Portugal on their way to victory over Ghana at 974 Stadium, ensuring he became the first player to score at five World Cups in the process.
Ronaldo and Portugal’s World Cup 2026 hopes
Roberto Martinez will lead Portugal and his superstar skipper to the global finals for the first time, with the aim to bring home the prized trophy for the first time.
As well as Ronaldo, Portugal can call upon the likes of Diogo Costa, Bruno Fernandes, Rafael Leao, Joao Neves and Bernardo Silva. Martinez, like many of his squad, has previous World Cup experience, having led Belgium at Russia 2018, where the Red Devils finished third, and Qatar 2022.
