Cristiano Ronaldo receives special gift on 38th birthday from boyhood club Sporting CP
Cristiano Ronaldo is celebrating his 38th birthday today and has received a box from his boyhood club Sporting CP as a gift. The box, named as the 'Cristiano Ronaldo Box,' is also on sale.
The box is a kind of memorabilia that showcases the most notable moments of the Portuguese legend's career at the club. After the child from Madeira moved to Lisbon, Sporting CP nurtured the generational talent and forged him to be one of the best youngsters in the world.
Before leaving for Manchester United in 2003, Ronaldo made 31 appearances for the Portuguese side, scoring five goals and providing six assists.
His stellar performance in a pre-season friendly against Manchester United caught the world's attention. Ronaldo had veterans of the United squad on skates with his quick feet and beyond-the-age maturity on the pitch.
United, recognizing that the player was still an unpolished diamond, brought him to Old Trafford. Ronaldo flourished immensely under the tutelage of Sir Alex Ferguson and became the best player in the world before leaving the club for Real Madrid in 2009.
Ronaldo was recently linked with a return to Sporting CP after mutually terminating his contract with Manchester United. The move, however, didn't materialize partly because the Portuguese side didn't have the financial prowess to pay the five-time Ballon d'Or winner's immense salary.
Ruben Amorim, Sporting's current coach, said on the matter (via GOAL):
"Everybody in Sporting dreams of the return for Cristiano, but we don't have the money to pay his wages. I think he is happy in Manchester but is not playing so that is the problem."
Ronaldo eventually joined Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr and currently pockets an astronomical salary of close to €200 million per season.
How many goals has Cristiano Ronaldo scored against Sporting CP in his career?
While Sporting CP is Cristiano Ronaldo's boyhood club, the Portuguese superstar has never shown any mercy to the Portuguese club when facing them as an opposition player.
In four games against the Portuguese side, Ronaldo has scored three goals and provided two assists. Fans might remember when he scored a last-ditch free kick against Sporting in the UEFA Champions League when representing Real Madrid.
ON THIS DAY IN 2016:
Cristiano Ronaldo scored this incredible Freekick against his former side Sporting CP. 🔥
https://t.co/oiKGW7p80I
Ronaldo also hurt Sporting with a rocket free kick in a Champions league group stage clash in 2007. He used to ply trade for Manchester United at the time.