11.08.2020 » A look at Cristiano Ronaldo's club career
Cristiano Ronaldo has had an illustrious football career, but at the age of 35, how long will he be able to play top flight football for? If you were a betting person and have used an online casinó in the past, you know the odds will be forever changing. Ever since the Portuguese star left Real Madrid to join Juventus, fans started raising their concerns about the possibility of seeing their idol hanging up his boots. Ronaldo, however, has been managing to stay away from serious injuries and his healthy lifestyle together with his incredible work ethic have allowed him to be keep playing at the top level for so long. Let's have a quick look back at his extensive footballing career.
Cristiano Ronaldo - Whatever it takes
Sporting CP
Ronaldo started his career at the Portuguese club Sporting CP, making his debut at the tender age of just 16. He made his debut in the Primeira Liga against Moreirense with a 3-0 win, scoring twice. After showing great ability at such a young age, many European clubs started showing an interest in signing him.
It was Manchester United who quickly snapped him up in 2003, paying £12.24 million pounds, which at the time made him the most expensive teenager in English football. Manager Alex Fergusson was quoted as saying that Ronaldo was one of the most exciting young players he had ever seen.
Manchester United
Ronaldo really made his name during his time playing for Manchester United. After signing for the team, he was instantly given the famous number 7 shirt previously worn by United greats including George Best and Eric Cantona. His first appearance for the club was as a 60th minute substitute in the 4-0 home victory against Bolton Wanderers on the 16th August 2003. His final match unfortunately ended in defeat in the Champions League final in 2009, losing 2-0 against the mighty Barcelona.
During his successful time playing for Manchester United he won the FA Cup in his first season, as well as three Premier League titles, the UEFA Champions League and the FIFA Club World Cup. His goals per games ratio for Manchester United was extremely impressive, scoring 118 goals in 292 appearances in his six years at the football club. He managed only one hat-trick which was in January 2008 with a 6-0 victory against Newcastle United. Cristiano Ronaldo's last goal for Manchester United was a free kick against their arch rivals Manchester City, on the 10th May 2009.
Real Madrid
Ronaldo's next step in his career was signing for the giant and historical Spanish club Real Madrid. He was bought in 2009 for £80 million, which at the time was a world record transfer fee. He made his debut for the club, wearing the number 9 shirt on the 29th August 2009 in the 3-2 win against Deportivo La Coruna. Just like his debut for Sporting CP, he scored, this time with a penalty.
During his time playing for Real Madrid, he won an impressive amount of four Champions League medals, three FIFA Club World Cups, three Uefa Super Cups, two Copas del Rey medals, two Spanish Super Cups and two La Liga titles. His goals per game ratio was even higher than his time at Manchester United, hitting the back of the net an incredible 451 times in 438 games. This was an average of more than one goal per game. Pretty impressive stuff!
Juventus
Cristiano Ronaldo then signed for the Italian giants Juventus in 2018. He penned a four-year deal signing for a fee of 100 million Euros. His first goal for his new club came in the 2-1 home win against Sassuolo. Ronaldo's first trophy for the Italian giants was the Italian Supercoppa, scoring the winning goal with a header against arch rivals AC Milan.
What does the future hold?
Ronaldo is currently still signed and playing regularly for Juventus, even though he is now reaching the twilight years of his football career. How many more seasons can we expect the great man to continue playing for? A betting man would expect him to continue playing a good standard of football for quite a few more years yet, barring any serious injuries.
He is a footballing great and keeps himself fitter than most other footballers, following a strict training and eating programme to keep him in the best shape possible. He is dedicated to the sport and as such maintains his high performances season after season.
Life after football
Even though we can expect at least a few more seasons from the Portuguese wizard, what does life after football look like for Ronaldo? Many think he would go on to become an excellent coach and manager if he was to stay in the game. He certainly has the pedigree to become a successful manager. But maybe he will move away from football completely into a different field.
He has previously spoken in interviews about wanting to move into acting in big screen films. For now though, we have the joy of watching this amazing talent take to the football field for at least a few more years yet.
Cristiano Ronaldo next game for Juventus in the Serie A is on September 19, against Torino. You can watch Juventus vs Torino, Shakhtar Donetsk vs Basel, Atalanta vs PSG, Manchester City vs Lyon, Wolves vs Sevilla, and Inter vs Bayer Leverkusen, all matches provided from our football live soccer game pages.
Juventus next game:
Juventus vs Torino kick-off time (19-09-2020):
Beijing (China) | UTC/GMT+8: 03:00
Jakarta (Indonesia) | UTC/GMT+7: 02:00
India (New Delhi) | UTC/GMT+5.30: 00:30
Italy (Turin) | UTC/GMT+2: 21:00
Spain (Madrid) | UTC/GMT+2: 21:00
Portugal and England (Lisbon/London) | UTC/GMT+1: 20:00
Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) | UTC/GMT-3: 16:00
New York (United States) | UTC/GMT-4: 15:00
Los Angeles (United States) | UTC/GMT-7: 12:00
Sources: ronaldo7.net / manutd.com / skysports.com
