A dusty field, crumbling walls, salty winds blowing in from the Atlantic… It was here, on the island of Madeira, that it all began. A boy with mischievous eyes took his first steps, unaware that one day he would become a global icon. Yet, nothing predestined this youngest of four siblings to conquer stadiums around the world. He might never have seen the light of day…
A childhood away from the spotlight
Cristiano Ronaldo was born on February 5, 1985, in Funchal, into a modest family. His first name? An unexpected nod to Ronald Reagan, his father’s favorite actor. But this Hollywood touch didn’t make his daily life any easier. His father, a stadium maintenance worker, struggled to make ends meet, and the shadow of alcohol hung over the house. Ronaldo would later say with emotion: “I never really knew my father.”
From a very young age, he showed a strong temperament, sometimes difficult to channel. At school, he struggled to fit in and was even expelled after an incident with a teacher. But what he didn’t express in class, he unleashed on the field, with the ball at his feet, where everything became simpler, clearer, and more fluid.
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