Brianna Battista - Cristiano Ronaldo

Published in 2019 by The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc.

29 East 21st Street, New York, NY 10010

Copyright 2019 by The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer.

First Edition

Editor: Elizabeth Krajnik

Book Design: Michael Flynn

Photo Credits: Cover (Ronaldo), p. 1 NurPhoto/Getty Images; cover (stadium background) winui/Shutterstock.com; cover (player glow) Nejron Photo/Shutterstock. com; pp. 3, 23, 24 (background) Narong Jongsirikul/Shutterstock.com; pp. 4, 6, 810, 12, 14, 1618, 20, 22 (ball background) DRN Studio/Shutterstock.com; p. 5 Chris Brunskill Ltd/Getty Images Sport/Getty Images; p. 7 Karwai Tang/ WireImage/Getty Images; p. 8 GREGORIO CUNHA/AFP/Getty Images; p. 9 Julio Azevedo/Icon Sport/Getty Images; p. 11 LLUIS GENE/AFP/Getty Images; p. 13 ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP/Getty Images; p. 14 Christopher Lee/Getty Images Sport/Getty Images; p. 15 Kiyoshi Ota/Getty Images Sport/Getty Images; p. 16 Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images Sport/Getty Images; p. 17 Matthew Peters/ Manchester United/Getty Images; p. 18 Maxisport/Shutterstock.com; p. 19 Matt Trommer/Shutterstock.com; p. 21 Mustafa Yalcin/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images; p. 22 Laszlo Szirtesi/Shutterstock.com.

Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Battista, Brianna.

Title: Cristiano Ronaldo / Brianna Battista.

Description: New York : PowerKids Press, 2019. | Series: Soccer stars | Includes glossary and index.

Identifiers: ISBN 9781538344729 (pbk.) | ISBN 9781538343487 (library bound) | ISBN 9781538344736 (6 pack)

Subjects: LCSH: Ronaldo, Cristiano, 1985---Juvenile literature. | Soccer players-Portugal--Biography--Juvenile literature.

Classification: LCC GV942.7.R626 B325 2019 | DDC 796.334092 B--dc23

Manufactured in the United States of America

CPSIA Compliance Information: Batch #CWPK19 For Further Information contact Rosen Publishing, New York, New York at 1-800-237-9932

INTRODUCING RONALDO!

Do you like soccer? Perhaps you play on a school team or maybe you watch it at home with your family. Soccer is a popular sport all over the world. Cristiano Ronaldo is a Portuguese professional soccer player. He plays the position of forward for Real Madrid, a Spanish club team, and the Portuguese national team.

Ronaldo stands out for how many goals he has scored, his control of the soccer ball, and being a powerful leader. Many people think of Ronaldo as the best player of his generation. Other people think hes the greatest player of all time. In this book, well take a close look at Ronaldos career.

STAR POWER

Ronaldos full name is Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aviero. Ronaldo was given to him as a middle name in honor of Ronald Reagan, Ronaldos fathers favorite actor.

ON APRIL 11, 2018, REAL MADRID PLAYED AGAINST JUVENTUS IN A SECOND-LEG MATCH OF THE UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE QUARTER FINAL AT ESTADIO SANTIAGO BERNABU IN MADRID, SPAIN.

HUMBLE BEGINNINGS

Ronaldo was born on February 5, 1985, in the Santo Antonio neighborhood of Funchal on the Portuguese island of Madeira. The youngest of four children, Ronaldo shared a room with his brother and two sisters in their familys small house in one of the citys poorest neighborhoods.

Before Ronaldo became a soccer star, his mother, Maria Dolores dos Santos Aveiro, was a chef. His father, Jos Dinis Aviero, was a gardener and an equipment manager for the local soccer club Andorinha.

Because his father worked for Andorinha, the young Ronaldo spent time at the club. He would try dribbling, or running with, the ball and copying the older players.

MARIA DOLORES DOS SANTOS AVEIRO, CRISTIANO RONALDO JR.

RONALDO CAME FROM HUMBLE BEGINNINGS. AS A BOY, RONALDO AND HIS BROTHER AND SISTERS DIDNT HAVE TOYS AND DIDNT GET CHRISTMAS PRESENTS. HE IS VERY CLOSE WITH HIS MOTHER, WHO RAISED HIM TO BE VERY RELIGIOUS.

THE LITTLE BEE

Ronaldo played a lot of street soccer as a young boy and began playing for Andorinha, his first club, when he was around eight years old. Even then, Ronaldo stood out as a talented player. He was called abelhinha, which means little bee in Portuguese, because he was small and very quick on the field. Soon, other clubs noticed the little bee.

CRISTIANO RONALDOS SOCCER ID CARD (19941995)

WHEN RONALDO FIRST MOVED TO LISBON, SOME OF HIS NEW CLASSMATES MADE FUN OF HIM FOR HIS MADEIRAN ACCENT. HE HAD TO STAY STRONG FOR HIS LOVE OF THE GAME.

Within two years, Ronaldo began playing for Madeiras biggest team, Clube Desportivo Nacional of Madeira. When he was 12 years old, Ronaldo had a three-day trial with Sporting Clube de Portugal (CP) in the capital city of Lisbon. The team signed him for about $2,148.

LIFE IN LISBON

Lisbon had new challenges in store for Ronaldo. He moved there all by himself and felt very lonely and homesick. Ronaldo returned to Madeira and almost stayed, which would have been the end of his soccer career! However, he went back to Lisbon to keep playing for Sporting CP and promised to work and train harder than ever.

Another challenge came when Ronaldo turned 15 years old. Doctors told him he had a problem with his heart. His heartbeat raced even when he was wasnt running. Heart disease can force even the best players to quit the sport. Ronaldos drive was so strong that he went back to his training just days after an operation to fix the problem.

STAR POWER

Ronaldos hard work paid off. In just one season, he moved up from Sporting CPs under-16 team all the way to the first team. He was the first player to do this.

RONALDO WOULD OFTEN STAY AN EXTRA HALF HOUR AFTER TRAINING TO WORK ON THE SKILLS HE HAD A HARD TIME WITH.

BREAKTHROUGH

In 2003, Ronaldo signed with Manchester United. He was the teams first-ever Portuguese player. The teams manager, Alex Ferguson, offered Ronaldo the number 7 jersey. The most famous Manchester United players, such as David Beckham, had worn that number. Ferguson was sure Ronaldo could one day be just as good as these other players were. Ronaldo believes this was a turning point in his career. He said, I was forced to live up to such an honor.

Ronaldos debut, or first time playing for the team, was on August 16, 2003. He only played for 30 minutes, but he still caught the fans attention! Fans rose to their feet clapping when he came out. Ronaldos high energy and skill helped Manchester score another three points.