Cristiano Ronaldo is a 41-year-old Portuguese forward who plays for Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia, holds the men's records for international goals and caps, and has won five Ballon d'Or awards. In this Cristiano Ronaldo biography, we follow him from Madeira to Manchester, Madrid, Turin and Riyadh, through his last World Cup and his marriage to Georgina Rodríguez. All facts are as of October 23, 2026.
Cristiano Ronaldo biography: quick facts
Question | Answer |
|---|---|
Full name | Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro |
Born | February 5, 1985, in Funchal, Madeira, Portugal |
Age | 41 |
Height | About 6 ft 2 in (1.87 m); some profiles list 1.84 m |
Current club | Al Nassr, under contract until 2027 |
Ballon d'Or wins | 5 (2008, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017) |
Champions League titles | 5 (2008, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018) |
Portugal career | 234 caps and 146 goals, both men's records |
Career goals | 981 official goals as of October 12, 2026 |
Wife | Georgina Rodríguez (married August 11, 2026) |
Children | Five |
2026 earnings | $300 million (No. 1 on Forbes' 2026 list) |
Where did Cristiano Ronaldo grow up?
He grew up in Funchal, on the Portuguese island of Madeira, where he was born on February 5, 1985. He's the youngest of four children of Maria Dolores dos Santos Aveiro and José Dinis Aveiro, a municipal gardener. His siblings are Hugo, Elma and Liliana Cátia. His father reportedly named him after US president Ronald Reagan.
He played youth soccer for Andorinha and Nacional, then moved to Sporting CP's academy in Lisbon in 1997, at 12. His father died in September 2005, when Ronaldo was 20.
How did Ronaldo get to Manchester United?
Manchester United signed him from Sporting CP on August 12, 2003, for £12 million, and gave him the No. 7 shirt. He'd made his Sporting first-team debut on August 14, 2002, in a Champions League qualifier against Inter Milan.
In his first spell at United, from 2003 to 2009, he won:
3 straight Premier League titles (2006-07, 2007-08 and 2008-09)
The 2008 Champions League
The 2004 FA Cup and the 2008 Club World Cup
His 31 league goals in 2007-08 won the Premier League Golden Boot, and he took his first Ballon d'Or and European Golden Shoe in 2008.
What did Ronaldo achieve at Real Madrid?
He became Real Madrid's all-time top scorer, with 450 goals in 438 games. The club's own profile counts 451. Madrid paid United a then world-record £80 million (€94 million) for him in 2009.
In nine seasons, he won four Champions League titles (2014, 2016, 2017 and 2018), two La Liga titles and the 2011 Copa del Rey. He also won four of his five Ballon d'Ors in Madrid, in 2013, 2014, 2016 and 2017. His 17 goals in the 2013-14 Champions League set a record for one season, and he's the competition's all-time top scorer.
What did Ronaldo do at Juventus and back at United?
He joined Juventus in 2018 for €100 million and scored 101 goals in all competitions. He won Serie A in 2018-19 and 2019-20, plus the 2020-21 Coppa Italia, and he was Serie A's top scorer in 2020-21 with 29 goals.
He went back to Manchester United in August 2021. That return ended on November 22, 2022, when United announced he was leaving by mutual agreement after a TV interview with Piers Morgan in which he criticized the club. United thanked him for 145 goals in 346 games across both spells.
What has Ronaldo won with Al Nassr?
Since signing with Al Nassr on December 30, 2022, he's won the Saudi Pro League title and the Arab Club Champions Cup. Here are the highlights:
Date | Achievement |
|---|---|
August 12, 2023 | Arab Club Champions Cup, scoring both goals in the final against Al Hilal |
2023-24 season | Saudi Pro League Golden Boot with 35 goals, a league record |
2024-25 season | A second straight Golden Boot, with 25 goals |
May 21, 2026 | Saudi Pro League title, clinched with two goals in a 4-1 win over Damac |
The league title was his first in Saudi Arabia and Al Nassr's first since 2018-19, according to ESPN's goal tracker. Five days earlier, on May 16, 2026, Al Nassr lost the AFC Champions League Two final 1-0 to Gamba Osaka.
What is Ronaldo's Al Nassr contract?
He's signed until 2027. Al Nassr announced the two-year extension on June 26, 2025, Al-Monitor reported, but the club never released the financial terms. Press reports of his salary vary widely, so treat any single figure as an estimate. Forbes puts his on-field pay at about $235 million a year.
What has Ronaldo won with Portugal?
He's won three senior titles with Portugal:
Euro 2016, a 1-0 extra-time win over France in the final, even though he was injured and taken off early
The 2019 UEFA Nations League, a 1-0 win over the Netherlands
The 2025 UEFA Nations League, where he scored the equalizer in a 2-2 draw with Spain on June 8, 2025, before Portugal won 5-3 on penalties
He made his Portugal debut on August 20, 2003, against Kazakhstan. On September 1, 2021, he scored his 111th international goal and passed Ali Daei as the men's all-time top scorer. On March 23, 2023, he won his 197th cap, a men's record. He now has 146 goals in 234 caps.
How did Ronaldo do at the 2026 World Cup?
He set records there, but Portugal went out in the round of 16. On June 23, 2026, he scored twice against Uzbekistan and became the first man to score at six World Cups, Yahoo Sports reported. He then scored a penalty in a 2-1 win over Croatia on July 2, his first World Cup knockout goal.
Spain knocked Portugal out 1-0 on July 6, 2026, in Arlington, Texas, with a Mikel Merino goal in stoppage time. Afterward, Ronaldo said, "It was my last World Cup, yes," ESPN reported. He finished with 11 World Cup goals in 27 appearances.
Has Cristiano Ronaldo retired?
No. He's done with the World Cup, but he hasn't retired from Portugal or from club soccer. In a statement after leaving Portugal's camp in late September 2026, he said he'd written a retirement letter after the World Cup but was talked out of it by the Portuguese Football Federation's president, Pedro Proença.
He left the squad on the eve of a Nations League game against Denmark, saying head coach Jorge Jesus had promised him playing time and then didn't give it. "The coach had broken his word to me," he wrote, Sky Sports reported. He also said he'd be available for Portugal again once fit and after any suspension.
On October 19, 2026, ESPN reported that the federation had suspended him for 30 days and fined him €255. He's set to be eligible for Portugal's Nations League games against Denmark and Wales in November. Reports that 2026-27 will be his final club season come from secondhand accounts of a magazine interview, not an announcement, so treat them as unconfirmed.
How many goals has Ronaldo scored in his career?
He had 981 official career goals after scoring in Al Nassr's 3-1 AFC Champions League win over Neftchi Fargona on October 12, 2026. That leaves him 19 short of 1,000, a target he's said he wants to reach. His 900th goal came for Portugal against Croatia on September 5, 2024.
Media trackers keep these totals, not an official body, so counts can differ by a goal or two.
What is Cristiano Ronaldo's net worth?
His net worth is estimated at $1.2 billion to $1.4 billion, but no exact figure is public. In October 2025, the Bloomberg Billionaires Index named him soccer's first billionaire, at about $1.4 billion. Figures attributed to Forbes are a little lower.
We know more about his earnings. Forbes' 2026 list, published May 23, 2026, ranks him the world's highest-paid athlete for the sixth time, with $300 million: $235 million on the field and $65 million off it. That ties Floyd Mayweather's 2015 total, the biggest Forbes has recorded since the list began in 1990. His sponsors include Nike, Binance and Perplexity.
What businesses does Ronaldo own?
He owns a lot of businesses, and many of them run under his CR7 brand:
Pestana CR7 hotels, a joint venture with Portugal's Pestana group since 2016
CR7 Crunch Fitness gyms and Insparya hair clinics
URSU bottled water and the UR·MARV film studio with director Matthew Vaughn
A 25% stake in Spanish club UD Almería, bought in February 2026
He's also the most-followed person on Instagram, with about 679 million followers as of September 2026. His YouTube channel, UR · Cristiano, launched on August 21, 2024, and set a Guinness World Record for the most subscribers gained in 24 hours.
What charity work does Ronaldo do?
He's been a global ambassador for Save the Children since 2013. He also donated millions to relief work after the 2015 earthquake in Nepal, though reports of the exact amount vary.
Who is Cristiano Ronaldo's wife?
His wife is Georgina Rodríguez. They met in Madrid in 2016, she announced their engagement on August 11, 2025, and they married in a private civil ceremony in Cascais, Portugal, on August 11, 2026. His representatives confirmed the wedding and said all five of their children were there, the Sunday Times reported.
Our take on Cristiano Ronaldo's career
As of October 23, 2026, Ronaldo has five Ballon d'Ors, five Champions League titles, Euro 2016 and the most goals and caps in men's international soccer. At 41, he's still scoring for Al Nassr, still chasing 1,000 goals and still, despite his October ban, part of Portugal's plans. For the other half of soccer's great rivalry, read our Lionel Messi biography, and follow our Cristiano Ronaldo page for future coverage.
Frequently asked questions
How old is Cristiano Ronaldo?
Cristiano Ronaldo is 41. He was born on February 5, 1985, in Funchal, Madeira, so he'll turn 42 in February 2027.
How tall is Cristiano Ronaldo?
Ronaldo is about 6 ft 2 in (1.87 m), the figure most profiles use. Some list him slightly shorter, at 1.84 m.
How many Ballon d'Ors does Ronaldo have?
Ronaldo has five Ballon d'Ors. He won in 2008 with Manchester United and in 2013, 2014, 2016 and 2017 with Real Madrid.
What team does Ronaldo play for now?
Ronaldo plays for Al Nassr in the Saudi Pro League. His contract runs until 2027, and he helped the club win the league title in May 2026.
Is Ronaldo still playing for Portugal?
Yes, though he's serving a 30-day federation suspension handed down in October 2026 after leaving the squad. He's said he'll be available again, and he's set to be eligible for Portugal's November Nations League games.
Has Ronaldo scored 1,000 goals?
Not yet. He had 981 official career goals as of October 12, 2026, leaving him 19 short of 1,000.
