Cristiano Ronaldo has been awarded the FIFA Ballon d’Or following a string of sensational performances in 2013.
The Portugal international skipper has held off strong claims from both Franck Ribery and four-time winner, Lionel Messi, to claim his second Golden Ball.
Ronaldo, 28, had previously won the award in 2008, during his time with Manchester United.
He went into the ceremony in Zurich at an astonishing level of performance following a stunning year with Real Madrid Football Club and the Portuguese national side.
He netted 66 goals in 56 games for the club and his country last year, including five hat-tricks, one of which came in Portugal’s 4-2 (aggregate) World Cup Play-off win over Sweden, to ensure his country’s place at this year’s World Cup in Brazil.
Although rivals Ribery and Messi both emerged with their respective league titles to their name, Ronaldo was at the peak of his powers. Devastatingly quick, ferociously powerful and clinical in the final third, his individual star has shone brighter than any other’s during the last 12 months.
He once again showed remarkable consistency in his relentless pursuit of perfection.
The FIFA XI of the year, meanwhile, was: Manuel Neuer, Dani Alves, Thiago Silva, Sergio Ramos, Philipp Lahm, Andres Iniesta, Xavi, Franck Ribery, Cristiano Ronaldo, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Lionel Messi.
A star shone bright
Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro, known simply as Cristiano Ronaldo, by football fans, is one of the world’s best football players. He is currently playing for Spanish football club, Real Madrid and serving as Portuguese national team captain.
Ronaldo was born on February 5, 1985 in Santo António, a neighbourhood of Funchal, Madeira Portugal. He is the youngest child of Maria Dolores dos Santos Aveiro, a cook, and José Dinis Aveiro, a municipal gardener. His second given name “Ronaldo” was chosen after then-U.S. president, Ronald Reagan, who was his father’s favourite actor. The family was staunchly Catholic and lived in poverty. Ronaldo had no toys and shared a room with his brother and two sisters.
His father died at the age 52, of an illness related to liver failure and caused by alcoholism. After his father’s loss, Ronaldo vowed not to use alcohol in his life.
Ronaldo’s net worth started to grow particularly early. Following a successful campaign with a local youth club, Nacional, in 1995, he was signed by Sporting PC and became the youngest player in the club’s history. However, there were extremely hard times in his career too. For a short period in 2000, it looked like his career was going to end before it even started. Ronaldo was diagnosed with a racing heart. Although generally, this cardiac malfunction does not pose threat to one’s life, it requires limiting the physical activity to the minimum. But luckily, the heart problem faded away as the boy grew into adolescence.
This explosive Real Madrid striker and captain of the Portuguese national team was once the most expensive player in football history when he moved from Manchester United to Real Madrid in a transfer deal worth $132m (about 21bn). He has to his credit almost every award and recognition that could matter to any man. His dashing looks and charisma add to his brand value and have made him a favourite to the media and advertisers. He is the marketing face of many mega-brands such as Nike, Armani and Coca-Cola and makes lots of money through his partnership with these brands. A contract with Real Madrid, in which he was to be paid £11m (about N3bn) per year over the following six years, made him the highest-paid football player in the world at the time.
His dating repertoire includes likes of English models, Alice Goodwin and Gemma Atkinson, and he loved to take them for rides in his collection of supercars. Since the start of 2010, he has been dating Russian model, Irina Shayk, but has a son named after himself- Cristiano- by another woman.
In 2003, 18-year-old Ronaldo signed a contract with one of the strongest football clubs in Europe, Manchester United, from Sporting Lisbon in Portugal. At Manchester United, Ronaldo shone like a star and led the club to major trophies including the UEFA Champions League triumph in 2008.
Ronaldo’s net worth is currently estimated at $160m (N25.6bn), and this is not surprising with Forbes estimating that the 28-year-old star made $44m in earnings from salaries and endorsements between June 2012 and June 2013.
Ronaldo has twice been named the FIFA World Player of the Year, in 2008 and 2013 and for his hard work, the football star knows how to enjoy his wealth. He owns a lavish house in Madrid, Spain which cost more than $7.2m (about N1.2bn). The mansion is located in one of the posh areas of the city and boasts of seven luxurious bedrooms, eight bathrooms, a trophy room and a number of kids’ rooms. The mansion, which looks more like a sci-fi lab, also boasts of Ronaldo’s initials on various surfaces.
In addition, Ronaldo owns a grand mansion in Alderley Edge, United Kingdom, which he bought in 2006 for more than $6m (N960m). Alderley Edge is famous for its affluence and expensive houses.
A fashion icon that he is, Ronaldo always makes heads turn due to his outrageous style which he accessorises with loads of attitude. His fashion sense has made him one of the most imitated personalities in the word. Also he loves to shop, whether it is for himself or for his friends.
His collection of cars truly reflects his madness for luxury items. He owns a variety of expensive cars which includes BMW M6, Bentley Continental GTC, Porsche Cayenne Turbo, Lamborghini Aventador, Aston Martin DB9, Maserati GranCabrio, Ferraris 599 GTB Fiorano and F430 Spider, and Audis R8 and Q7.
For those who want to experience the highest level of thrill that raw speed provides, Buggati Veyron is the perfect destination. Acclaimed as the fastest street legal car in the world, Veyron isn’t for the faint hearted and Ronaldo is certainly not one of them. Ronaldo owns a Bugatti Veyron, which is one of the most expensive cars in the world. The standard model of the car costs a cool $1.3m (N208m).
Apart from his girlfriend and son, Ronaldo also enjoys the company of Marosco and Abelhunha, his Labrador and Terrier dogs, respectively.
Sources: www.celebsnetworth.net; www.bornrich.com; www.caughtoffside.com; www.therichest.com; www.forbes.com; www.mirror.co.uk