Cristiano Ronaldo by "Forbes" in 2016 and 2017, as well as the world's most famous athlete by ESPN in 2016, 2017 and 2018. Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro was born in São Pedro, Funchal, on the island of Madeira, Portugal, and grew up in Santo António, Funchal. He is the fourth and youngest child of Maria Dolores dos Santos Aveiro (b. 1954), a cook, and José Dinis Aveiro (1953–2005), a municipal gardener and a part-time kit man. His second given name, "Ronaldo", was chosen after then-U.S. president Ronald Reagan. His great-grandmother on his father's side, Isabel da Piedade, was from the island
Cristiano Ronaldo in the box, and score from few opportunities. Ronaldo is widely regarded as one of the two best players of his generation, alongside Lionel Messi. Ronaldo quickly established himself among the world's best players in his early 20s, featuring as the core component for Manchester United in the mid-to-late 2000s. However, after winning his first Ballon d'Or by a record-high vote count at age 23, the public debate regarding his qualities as a player moved beyond his status in contemporary football to the possibility that he was one of the greatest players in history. Universally acclaimed for his prolific and