Cristiano Ronaldo A prolific goalscorer, Ronaldo holds the records for most official goals scored in Europe's top-five leagues (405), the UEFA Champions League (121), the UEFA European Championship (9), as well as those for most assists in the UEFA Champions League (34) and the UEFA European Championship (6). He has scored over 680 senior career goals for club and country. Born and raised on the Portuguese island of Madeira, Ronaldo was diagnosed with a racing heart at age 15. He underwent an operation to treat his condition, and began his senior club career playing for Sporting CP, before signing with Manchester United
Cristiano Ronaldo free kicks, is known for using the "knuckleball" technique, which had previously been popularised by Juninho Pernambucano; he also adopts a trademark stance before striking the ball, which involves him standing with his legs far apart. Regarding Cristiano Ronaldo's unique style of taking free kicks, former Manchester United assistant manager Mike Phelan has commented: "People used to put the ball down, walk away, run up and hit it. He brought in a more dynamic showmanship. He places the ball down, the concentration level is high, he takes his certain amount of steps back so that his standing foot is in