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#3 Cristiano Ronaldo used to hope for free food after training... from McDonald's!
As a teenager plying his trade for the Sporting Lisbon academy, Cristiano Ronaldo and his friends reportedly used to go to a McDonald's outlet near the training ground in the hope of getting free food.
In an interview with ITV, the Portuguese star looked back upon his days as an unknown youngster and recalled the story in his own words.
"We were a little hungry. We had a McDonald’s next to the stadium, we knocked on the door and asked have you got any burgers”
“There was always Edna and two other girls. I never found them again."
Years later, Cristiano Ronaldo said he'd love to meet the women who gave him and his mates free food after training. The Juventus talisman also promised to invite them over for lunch if he managed to find them at some point in the future.
A woman did identify herself as one of the workers involved in the incident and spoke to a local Portuguese outlet a few years ago. Click here to read about the story in detail.
#2 Cristiano Ronaldo is against tattoos and drinking alcohol for a brilliant reason
It is well documented that Cristiano Ronaldo has no tattoos on his body, while he is also against cigarette smoking and drinking. The reason? He donates blood regularly, so if he were to indulge in such habits, he would not be eligible to do so.
Moreover, his father was a war veteran and took to alcoholism due to the post-traumatic stress that followed after his exploits in Mozambique. Jose Dinis Aveiro ultimately succumbed to alcoholism in 2005 when Cristiano Ronaldo was playing for Manchester United, as he was unable to put his past demons to bed.
Due to what happened to his father, the Juventus striker remains clear of alcohol and this has enabled him to become one of the fittest footballers around.
#1 Liverpool and Barcelona could have signed Cristiano Ronaldo before Manchester United
Manchester United sealed a record-breaking move for Cristiano Ronaldo in 2003 after he impressed in a pre-season friendly against the Red Devils. However, if Liverpool had got their way, things could have been so, so different.
The Reds were managed by Gerard Houllier at the time and the Frenchman identified Ronaldo as one of his primary transfer targets. However, Liverpool had a strict rule against paying exorbitant transfer fees for teenagers, due to which they were unable to stump up the cash.
In the case of Barcelona, the club had just splashed a considerable amount of money to sign Ronaldinho, Rafa Marquez and Ricardo Quaresma that summer, so they opted against signing him. Barcelona president Joan Laporta — who was also involved with the club at the time — revealed that the Catalan giants came ever so close to signing the gifted attacker.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi on the same team? The world of football could have witnessed something truly extraordinary!
