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The most popular sportsperson in the world, Cristiano Ronaldo, celebrates his 37th birthday today. The man from Madeira has won several trophies and titles in football, achieving beyond anyone’s wildest dreams.
Yet, even at 37, Ronaldo is as hungry as he was a decade back, maybe even more. He constantly pushes himself to be better, to defy biology, and to turn his critics into his biggest admirers.
Today, we will celebrate the superstar’s birthday by taking a look at the top five events that defined his 36th year on this planet.
Now without further ado, let’s get to it.
#5 Return to Manchester United
Cristiano Ronaldo has played for some of the most decorated clubs in his career. All of his teams have treated him with the utmost respect and showered him with love. Yet his second club Manchester United hold a special place in his heart.
Having capped off a somewhat disappointing spell with Juventus, Ronaldo decided to swap shirts last summer. Manchester City were reportedly in contention for the superstar’s signature, but United couldn’t possibly afford to let their No.7 join their crosstown rivals.
A transfer was agreed, and the 37-year-old returned to Old Trafford to much fanfare.
He scored three goals in his first two games for the Red Devils, including a brace in his debut against Newcastle United. The explosiveness has waned since then, but the Portuguese remains the club’s leading scorer for the season.
Had it not been for his six goals in the Champions League, United could have found themselves in the Europa League knockouts.
The superstar unfortunately missed a crucial first-half penalty kick in Manchester United’s FA Cup loss to Middlesbrough on Friday night. The onus will be on him to make amends in the Red Devils’ next Premier League outing against Burnley on Tuesday.
#4 Failure to make Ballon d’Or three-man shortlist
For the first time since 2007, Cristiano Ronaldo failed to break into the three-man shortlist for the respected individual accolade Ballon d’Or. The five-time winner finished sixth in the 2021 Ballon d'Or rankings with only 178 points.
Ronaldo’s arch-rival, Lionel Messi, finished first with 613 points, bagging his seventh Ballon d’Or in the process. Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski finished second with 580 votes and Chelsea midfielder Jorginho wrapped up the top three with 460 points.
The Manchester United star’s former teammate Karim Benzema finished in fourth position, amassing 239 votes.
As expected, the Portugal skipper was not present at the presentation ceremony, but is being backed to return with a vengeance this year.
#3 First player in history to score 20+ league goals in 12 consecutive seasons
Cristiano Ronaldo epitomizes consistency in modern-day football. The winger-turned-centre-forward has been racking goals left, right, and centre for his teams, and the trend has continued over the last year.
In March 2021, the then Juventus No.7 hit the back of the net as the Bianconeri cruised to a 3-0 win over Spezia. The strike marked his 20th league goal in 2020-21, making him the first player in history to score 20 goals in 12 consecutive seasons.
The last time he failed to hit the 20-goal mark was in the final season of his first spell with Manchester United in 2008-09.
The Portuguese has eight goals to his name in the Premier League this season. He needs at least 12 in the next 16 league games to stretch his magnificent run to 13 consecutive seasons.
#2 Leading goalscorer in EURO history
The European Championship, aka EURO, is arguably the second most prestigious cup competition in international football. Its latest iteration, EURO 2020, was postponed due to the pandemic and was held in the summer of 2021.
Hungry to prove his worth, Cristiano Ronaldo made sure to put his best foot forward.
With his inclusion in the starting XI against Hungary, Cristiano Ronaldo became the first player to appear at five EURO finals tournaments. He struck twice against the Hungarians to ensure a 3-0 win for Portugal and take his goal tally to 11.
The brace not only made him the first player to score in five European Championships but also saw him become the tournament’s record goalscorer. Michel Platini, who had scored nine goals at the EUROs, was the previous record holder.
Ronaldo added three more goals in the next two group stage matches but drew a blank against Belgium in the Round of 16. The reigning European champions were thrown out of the competition after enduring a 1-0 defeat at the hands of the Belgians.
#1 Leading scorer in men’s international football
Cristiano Ronaldo is by far Portugal’s greatest-ever goalscorer. He has saved them numerous times over the course of his career, popping up with invaluable equalizers and winners. In September, the world stood witness to yet another Ronaldo masterclass as he scored another last-gasp winner for Portugal.
Playing against the Republic of Ireland in a 2022 FIFA World Cup Qualifier, the No.7 scored a brace in the dying embers of the match. His double not only took Portugal to a win but also made him the leading men’s goalscorer in international football.
The goals marked his 110th and 111th strikes in international football, taking him past Iranian legend Ali Daei (109).
Since his record-breaking brace, the Portuguese skipper has added four more international goals to his tally. Overall, he has registered 115 goals and 40 assists for Portugal in 184 appearances, averaging 0.89 goal contributions per match.
