Portuguese soccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the most famous soccer players in the world. Despite his presence in the spotlight and the fact that he has been in the public eye for a significant amount of time, there are still some facts about the star athlete that most people don’t know. Here, PPcorn presents 15 facts you probably didn’t know about Cristiano Ronaldo.
Number Fifteen: Ronaldo Is Not His Last Name
Cristiano Ronaldo’s full name is actually Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro. Well, we can’t blame him for shortening it. That’s a mouthful!
Number Fourteen: He Was Named After a President
Ronaldo’s father was such a big fan of Ronald Reagan that he named his son after him! That’s where he got the “Ronaldo.”
Number Thirteen: Cristiano Ronaldo Can Be Very Emotional
Ronaldo’s childhood nickname was reportedly “cry-baby” because of how emotional he was as a child. When he played games as a child, if he passed the ball and his teammates didn’t score, he was called “cry-baby” because of his strong emotional reaction.
Number Twelve: He Was Expelled From School
After Ronaldo threw a chair at a teacher, he was expelled from school at the very young age of just 14 years old. This turned out to be a blessing in disguise, because when he was expelled, he was then forced to focus on soccer.
Number Eleven: He Has a Racing Heart
When Ronaldo was 15 years old, doctors diagnosed him as having a racing heart. He got surgery, which allowed him to continue playing soccer. Imagine what would have happened if he hadn’t been able to get surgery!
Number Ten: He Has Some Serious Jumping Power
When Ronaldo jumps, he jumps at 5G (in terms of G-force). This is five times the power of a cheetah in full flight! The man has incredibly strong legs.
Number Nine: He Also Has Some Major Kicking Power
Not only can Ronaldo jump super high, but he can also kick extremely powerfully. Cristiano Ronaldo has such powerful kicks that he has even hurt some fans, including a broken wrist and a broken nose.
Number Eight: He Made a Museum for His Fans
In 2013, Ronaldo gave the people what they wanted and opened his own museum. The museum is in Funchal, Portugal, and is called Museu CR7. Visitors can view his trophies and a life-size replica of him.
Number Seven: He Does Not Have Any Tattoos
Unlike many famous sports stars and athletes, Ronaldo does not have a single tattoo on his body. He has refrained from tattoos so he can continue to donate blood regularly.
Number Six: He Has His Own Was Figure
Along with Pele, David Beckham, and Steven Gerrard, Ronaldo has his own wax figure in Madame Tussauds’ wax museum. He got his own figure in 2010.
Number Five: He Has a Lot of Famous Fans
Among his millions of fans is the very famous Arnold Schwarzenegger! Schwarzenegger has said that he is a fan of the soccer superstar’s “great abs.”
Number Four: He Does Not Drink
Ronaldo’s father faced a lot of issues with alcohol, so in order to separate himself from his father, Ronaldo has chosen not to ever drink alcohol. We can respect that.
Number Three: He Has His Own iPhone Game
In 2011, Ronaldo got his own app, which is essentially just a game. The game is called Heads Up with Cristiano.
Number Two: He Makes Money…A Lot of Money
In 2014 alone, Ronaldo earned a hefty $80 million. That made him the second highest-paid athlete in the world that year! $28 million of that $80 million reportedly came from endorsements he did.
Number One: He Loves Poker
Ronaldo was actually one of the faces of PokerStars, and there have been many rumors that he loves to play poker. The PokerStars ad that features him shows him playing at a table, going all in and eventually winning after the pizza delivery boy takes a selfie with him.