He grew up on a small, windswept island in the middle of the Atlantic — and a sudden heart problem nearly derailed his dreams.
Now, a rare childhood photo of the boy who would grow up to become one of the most famous faces in the world is going viral.
Can you recognize this child behind that unforgettable smile?
A Difficult Birth
The house where he grew up has been destroyed, and the lot where he took his first steps is barely recognizable. Yet, this football superstar rose above life’s tragedies, including the loss of his father to alcoholism.
The boy, born in 1985, was the fourth child in his family — and his birth almost didn’t happen. Desperate and alone, his mother once tried to induce a miscarriage by drinking strong black beer and running until she collapsed, following a neighbor’s shocking advice. Miraculously, it didn’t work, and he survived, paving the way for a life that would one day captivate the world.
A Recognizable Face
When this old photo surfaced online, fans were stunned. The child’s innocent eyes and shy smile hinted at something special, but no one could have imagined he would grow into one of the world’s most famous athletes.
A Special Name
We’re talking about football superstar Cristiano Ronaldo, now 40 years old. Born on February 5, 1985, in Funchal, Madeira, Portugal, Ronaldo grew up in a modest household and was partly named after Ronald Reagan, his father’s favorite actor. However, he never had a close relationship with his father, who did not live to see him become a superstar.
“I don’t really know my father fully. He was an alcoholic. We never had normal conversations. It was hard,” Ronaldo has said.
A Challenging Journey
At just 12 years old, he left his childhood home in Madeira to pursue his dream on mainland Portugal. He struggled at school and did not advance beyond sixth grade. While popular among classmates, he was once expelled after an incident with a teacher.
A serious heart issue also threatened his career. He underwent surgery using a laser to merge multiple cardiac pathways. But Ronaldo recovered and kept pushing forward, turning every setback into a lesson in resilience.
An Extraordinary Career
He began his professional career with Sporting CP before breaking through at Manchester United in 2003. His talent, speed, and dedication quickly propelled him to global fame. His transfer to Real Madrid set records and cemented his reputation as a goal-scoring machine.
On the international stage, Ronaldo has represented Portugal in over 220 matches and scored more than 140 goals. He has won multiple Ballon d’Or awards and, in 2024, became the first male player to score 900 official career goals.
A Global Icon
Today, Ronaldo is not only a football legend but also one of the world’s highest-paid and most recognizable athletes. Forbes has named him the highest-paid athlete five times, and ESPN ranked him the most famous athlete globally from 2016 to 2019. On social media, he has over 1 billion followers, becoming the first person to reach that milestone.
From a wide-eyed boy in Madeira to a global football legend, Cristiano Ronaldo’s story is a testament to talent, hard work, and an unbreakable spirit.