Seven facts about Cristiano Ronaldo!!

By Christopher Davies 

1-  Ronaldo was nicknamed "cry-baby" as a child. His mother Dolores Aveiro said: "When he got home from school I'd tell him to do homework but he'd say he didn't have any. I'd be making dinner and he would jump out of the window and run off until late. He used to cry when he passed and his friends didn't score. People called him 'cry-baby' and 'little bee' because nobody could catch him."

2- He was an amazing player even at 11 years old. Paulo Cardoso, his first coach at Sporting Lisbon, said: "When he got the ball he went past two or three players. At the end of the game the players gathered around him, they knew he was a special kid."

3- Jose Mourinho likened Ronaldo to Marco van Basten, the former Holland striker. Mourinho said: "I remember the first time I saw him play. It was for Sporting youth. I told my assistant, 'There goes Van Basten's son.' He had great technique. He stood out."

4- As a teenager Ronaldo would train in the gym using weights on either foot and then dribbling with the ball. He thought it would improve his technique because without weights he would be even faster.

5- Liverpool decided Ronaldo wasn't good enough a year before he signed for United for £12.2 m from Sporting in 2003. After the winger played against United in a friendly Sir Alex Ferguson said: "At half-time I knew I had to sign this boy. He was sensational."

6- There is only one Cristiano Ronaldo but there are two Ronaldos. As coach of Brazil, Luiz Felipe Scolari, who worked with the other Ronaldo, said: "I hoped Cristiano would be as good one day. He just doesn't stop, no matter how much you demand of him."

7- Ferguson had no hesitation in handing Ronaldo the No 7 shirt. He said: "We've had some fantastic No 7s, Bryan Robson, Eric Cantona, David Beckham, some wouldn't want that jersey but his confidence was high even at 18. When he made his debut as substitute against Bolton he took the place by storm."

• Source: "Cristiano Ronaldo - the Story So Far," ITV4