Cristiano Ronaldo’s rags to impossible riches
Today he is one of the most successful footballers of the 21st century and one of the few sporting billionaires.
But Cristiano Ronaldo, 38, grew up in relative poverty, having to clean streets and beg for food to support his family in Sao Pedro, Madeira.
Ronaldo is the youngest of four children born to his mother Dolores dos Santos and father Jose Dinis Aveiro in 1985 after multiple failed abortion attempts.
His father, who was “drunk almost every day”, was a part-time gardener and suffered from mental health problems after fighting for the Portuguese army during Angola’s War of Independence.
Cristiano Ronaldo as a child with his father Jose Dinis Aveiro, who suffered from alcoholism (pictured right)
Ronaldo used to beg for food and shared a bedroom with his three siblings at his family home in Sao Pedro, Madeira (pictured).
A ten-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo on the day of his first communion in Madeira
Ronaldo told broadcaster Piers Morgan his family struggles to put food on the table and he used to beg outside a McDonald’s next to the stadium where his father worked as a kitman.
He said: “We were a bit hungry. We have a McDonald’s next to the stadium, we knocked on the door and asked if they had burgers.
Ronaldo’s father never lived to the height of his success as he died of liver failure in 2005, just two years into Ronaldo’s career at Old Trafford.
He added: “I really don’t know my father 100 percent. He was a drunk. I never spoke to him like in a normal conversation. It was hard.’
Despite the hardship, he grew up in a close-knit family with an older brother, Hugo, 48, and two older sisters, Elma, 49, and Liliana Kátia, 45, who “spoiled” and “enthusiastic” him.
Pictured: his father Jose Dinis Aveiro (left), Cristiano Ronaldo (centre) and his brother Hugo (right)
Pictured: Cristiano Ronaldo (left), his mother Dolores dos Santos (centre) and his sisters Liliana Kátia Aveiro (third from right) and Elma Aveiro (right)
He was given the nickname “Cry Baby” at school because he was said to cry when he couldn’t get his way.
He is also rumored to have been expelled from school after he threw a chair at his teacher and claimed they didn’t respect him.
But it wasn’t long before he left academia at the age of 14 and pursued his passion for football.
He joined Sporting CP in 2002 aged 16 and was quickly signed by Manchester United’s Alex Ferguson where he established himself as one of the best footballers in the world and made a fortune.
READ MORE: Cristiano Ronaldo has a property empire worth a “massive £43million”… which includes a mansion on the Portuguese Riviera when the Manchester United star retires, plus EIGHT other homes
After a glittering football career, Ronaldo now sits comfortably at the top of the sporting rich list and is set to make £175million a year at his new club Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia.
He has an estimated net worth of £789million and owns luxury properties with private pools around the world – including Lisbon, Madeira, Geres, Turin, Madrid, New York and Riyadh.
He owns a four bedroom villa in Marbella, Spain with high vaulted ceilings and sea views with a private golf course, in-built cinema and infinity pool.
But despite his success and wealth, Ronaldo’s tough childhood has meant he appreciates family values - and in some ways, he’s carried them with him on the journey.
He said his mum had always lived with him in all the different cities and clubs since she joined Manchester United in 2003 – because he couldn’t imagine leaving her.
He is now a father of five and has described starting a family as one of the greatest privileges of his life.
Ronaldo recently revealed he had taken his 12-year-old son Cristiano Jr to his childhood home and he was shocked at the size of his father’s former bedroom: “My son turned to me and said, ‘Dad. Did you live here?’ He couldn’t believe it.’
Cristiano Ronaldo with his three siblings at his £7million estate in Madeira, Portugal
He is pictured here with his partner Georgina Rodríguez, 29 (right) and four of their children. A painting by his father can be seen in the background.