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Cristiano Ronaldo, the superstar of football.

Cristiano Ronaldo, one of the world's best footballers today,

plays as a forward for both the Spanish football club

Real Madrid and the Portuguese national team.

He has won many awards and holds many world records.

Ronaldo was born in 1985 in a poor neighborhood

of the city of Funchal in Madeira, Portugal.

His parents were very poor, so he grew up in a tin -roofed shack

with his elder brother and two elder sisters.

He often played football instead of going to school,

and at age 11, he dropped out and joined a local youth team.

At age 12, he moved to the capital city, Lisbon,

to play for sporting Lisbon's youth team.

This was a difficult change for him,

as he was away from his family.

He played his first game in the Portuguese Super League

at age 17 and quickly became famous

as a promising young footballer.

Cristiano's talent soon caught the attention

of Alex Ferguson, manager of the English football club

of Manchester United.

He purchased Ronaldo from sporting Lisbon

for $20 million in 2003.

Ronaldo had great success in playing

for both Manchester and Portugal.

He made his international debut for Portugal

on 20 August 2003 and has been the captain since then.

He scored the opening goal for Manchester United

in their 2004 FA Cup victory.

He also helped Portugal reach the final

at 2004 UEFA Euro Championship.

In 2009, Real Madrid paid Manchester United £80 million

for Ronaldo's transfer.

This made Ronaldo the most expensive player in history.

He is also one of the highest paid footballers

in the world today.