5 stunning stories you didn't know about Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo is not only one of the greatest footballers of all time, but also amongst the most renowned celebrities on the planet. The Portuguese superstar has steadily grown in stature since bursting onto the scene at Sporting Lisbon and has shown no signs of slowing down despite entering his 30s.
The challenges Cristiano Ronaldo faced as a boy are well documented, as his family wasn't well off financially. Their misery was compounded when his dad Jose Dinis Aveiro, who was once a war veteran, succumbed to alcoholism in 2005. Nevertheless, he overcame every obstacle that came his way to realize his dream of becoming a professional footballer.
In what has been a classic rags-to-riches story, Cristiano Ronaldo's wealth, properties and cars have received worldwide attention over the years. However, some sensational tales about the Portuguese star have unraveled over the years and these stories have seemingly added to his legendary status.
Here are five such stories you probably didn't know about Cristiano Ronaldo.
#5 Cristiano Ronaldo was nicknamed 'cry baby' for his tantrums
Cristiano Ronaldo has been called many things over the course of his professional career, but a story from one of his former teammates brought to light a rather hilarious nickname he was given as a teenager.
Ricardo Santos, who shared a dressing room with Cristiano Ronaldo for amateur club CF Andorinha, revealed that his former teammate was nicknamed 'cry baby' due to his tantrums.
"Cry-baby, yes, because Ronaldo already loved to win like he loves today. And when he lost and when other kids didn't pass the ball to him he used to cry"
The Juventus striker has always done everything it takes to win, so Santos' claims hardly come as a shock.
#4 An irregular heartbeat nearly curtailed his career when he was 15
Cristiano Ronaldo is undoubtedly one of the greatest players in the history of the beautiful game, but his career could have been over before it even began. While the Portuguese star faced several obstacles while growing up, he almost stopped playing football aged 15 due to an irregular heartbeat.
To put it in simpler terms, his heart used to beat abnormally fast at times, due to which he had his fair share of problems as a teenager. Cristiano Ronaldo's mother later said in an interview that her son contemplated giving up football at the time.
However, as fate would have it, he received treatment to fix the issue and returned to the pitch a couple of days after the surgery. The rest, as they say, is history!