From Unwanted Child to World best: The story of Cristiano Ronaldo's childhood and poverty

Cristiano Ronaldo is one of only 3 sportsmen to have made £1bn from salaries and endorsement deals in his lifetime. The Portuguese superstar has played for the likes of Sporting Lisbon, Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus. Ronaldo also has millions of followers on his social media pages. But his life has not always been one of luxury and so much money and followers. Cristiano Ronaldo started from very humble beginnings and grew up in poverty.

The early life of Cristiano Ronaldo and his life of poverty

Cristiano Ronaldo was born on the 5th of February, 1985 in the small town of Sao Pedro, Funchal on the Island of Madeira. Against what many people think, this means he wasn't born in Portugal, he was on a Portuguese island and be could have easily chosen to not represent Portugal but to choose Cape Verde where his great grandparents are from. Cristiano Ronaldo is the last of 4 children born to Maria Dolores dos Santos Aveiro (a cook) and Jose Dinis Aveiro (a former Soldier, a gardener and a kitman). 

The first heartbreaking story about Cristiano Ronaldo childhood was that he was an unwanted child that his mother tried to abort several times because she already had 3 children. When Ronaldo was born, the financial situation got worse coupled with his father's alcoholism. The mother, Dolores Aveiro started working as a cook and a cleaning servant for many families and organisations to get money. Ronaldo and his siblings also joined their mother is working on the streets of Madeira because of the poverty in the family.

How Cristiano Ronaldo got his name, his siblings and close ties to his mother

Cristiano Ronaldo was given the name 'Ronaldo' by his father, Jose Dinis Aveiro. His father named him after then U.S. President, Ronald Reagan who had just won his re-election bid to be President of the United States again.

Cristiano Ronaldo's other siblings are made up of one brother and two sisters who are all older than him. The first child is the son, Hugo, who looks a lot like Cristiano Ronaldo. His sisters are Elma and Katia. While growing up, his older siblings would always pamper him and baby him, doing most of the house chores. This allowed him to focus on being whoever he wants to be, as it turned out, one of the greatest footballers of all time. 

Cristiano Ronaldo's father died in 2005 due to kidney problems caused by his drinking. Ronaldo was very close to his father but also his mother. Since his time at Manchester United, Cristiano Ronaldo's mother has always lived with him through all the cities and clubs. Cristiano Ronaldo says that his mother has only him and was there was him in the past, so he can never leave her by herself.