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Cristiano Ronaldo Fast Facts

(CNN) — Here’s a look at the life of professional soccer player Cristiano Ronaldo.

Personal

Birth date: February 5, 1985

Birth place: Funchal, Portugal

Birth name: Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro

Father: Jose Dinis Aveiro, gardener

Mother: Maria Dolores dos Santos Aveiro, cook

Marriage: Georgina Rodriguez (August 11, 2026-present)

Children: with Georgina Rodriguez: Alana Martina, 2017; Bella Esmeralda and male twin (name unreleased, died in childbirth), 2022; via surrogate: Eva and Mateo (twins), 2017; with mother’s name unavailable publicly: Cristiano Jr., 2010

Other Facts

All-time leading male goalscorer in international football.

First male player in history to score a goal in five different World Cups.

Portugal’s all-time top international goalscorer.

Winner of the Ballon d’Or footballer of the year award five times (2008, 2013, 2014, 2016 and 2017), and the European Golden Shoe four times (2007-08, 2010-11, 2013-14 and 2014-15).

One of his acts of charity was paying for the brain surgery of a 10-month-old boy. Other acts have included raising money for survivors of the 2004 Indonesian tsunami and paying for treatment for a 9-year-old cancer patient.

His father named him after US President Ronald Reagan.

Timeline

Early 1990s – Joins local amateur team Andorinha.

Late 1990s – Joins Clube Desportivo Nacional da Madeira, one of Portugal’s leading professional football clubs.

Early 2000s – Signs with Sporting Clube de Portugal.

August 12, 2003 – Signs with Manchester United for £12.24 million ($19.7 million).

August 20, 2003 – Debuts for Portugal’s national team.

June-July 2004 – Represents Portugal in the UEFA Euro and scores a goal in the tournament opener. This is his first major international tournament.

July 2004 – Plays for Portugal during the Summer Olympics. Portugal is eliminated in the group stage.

2005 – Wins the FIFPro Special Young Player of the Year award.

October 2005 – Comes under investigation for an alleged sexual assault but is not charged.

June 17, 2006 – Scores his first World Cup goal against Iran. Portugal wins 2-0.

2008 – Wins the FIFA World Player of the Year award.

2009 – Transfers to Real Madrid. The deal includes an £80 million (more than $130 million) transfer fee.

December 15, 2013 – Opens a museum dedicated to his football career in his hometown of Funchal, Portugal.

January 6, 2014 – Scores his 400th career goal.

January 20, 2014 – Is named Grand Officer of the Order of Prince Henry.

October 17, 2015 – Officially becomes Real Madrid’s all-time leading goalscorer in the club’s 3-0 victory over Levante at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium.

November 9, 2015 – The documentary “Ronaldo” premieres in London.

November 8, 2016 – Signs a “lifetime” endorsement deal with Nike.

January 2017 – Is named the inaugural Best FIFA Men’s Player of 2016.

June 13, 2017 – Is accused of defrauding Spanish authorities of $16.4 million in tax between 2011 and 2014.

August 14, 2017 – According to the Spanish Football Federation, Ronaldo is banned for five games following his red card in Real Madrid’s 3-1 victory over rival Barcelona. On top of the one-game ban for the red card, he will miss four further games for pushing referee Ricardo De Burgos Bengoetxea as he was leaving the field.

October 23, 2017 – Wins the FIFA Best Men’s Player Award for the second year in a row.

December 7, 2017 – Claims his fifth Ballon d’Or, equaling the record set by eternal rival Lionel Messi.

July 10, 2018 – Leaves Real Madrid to join the reigning Serie A champion Juventus, based in Turin, Italy, on a four-year contract and a reported $117 million transfer fee.

September 27, 2018 – Kathryn Mayorga files a lawsuit in Clark County, Nevada, accusing Ronaldo of raping her in a Las Vegas hotel room in 2009. She seeks to void a settlement and nondisclosure agreement she says she was coerced to sign by Ronaldo and his legal team. Ronaldo denies the allegations.

January 10, 2019 – Las Vegas police spokeswoman, Officer Laura Meltzer, confirms that in the course of investigating a rape allegation against Ronaldo they have sent a warrant to authorities in Italy requesting a sample of his DNA.

January 22, 2019 – Ronaldo agrees to settle his tax fraud case with Spanish authorities by paying a fine of $21.6 million and accepting a 23-month suspended prison sentence. Under Spanish law, first-time offenders can avoid prison time if the sentence is under two years.

April 20, 2019 – Juventus defeats Fiorentina 2-1 to claim the Italian championship Serie A title. Ronaldo becomes the first player ever to win titles in the Premier League (with Manchester United), La Liga (with Real Madrid) and Serie A (with Juventus).

May 8, 2019 – The lawsuit filed in Clark County, Nevada, accusing Ronaldo of rape is voluntary dismissed by Mayorga. Larissa Drohobyczer, Mayorga’s attorney, tells CNN that “The state case was dismissed by us because we filed the identical claims in federal court due to federal court rules on serving foreigners, we basically just switched venues, but the claims remain.”

July 22, 2019 – The Clark County District Attorney’s office says that Ronaldo will not face sexual assault charges in Las Vegas. The office says the allegations, which were first made in 2009, cannot be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.

August 16, 2019 – Federal court documents reveal that following Mayorga’s 2009 accusation of rape, Ronaldo paid Mayorga $375,000 in a settlement and confidentiality agreement. Mayorga is asking the court to invalidate the agreement on the grounds that Ronaldo and his legal team took advantage of her fragile emotional state to coerce her into signing it.

September 8, 2020 – Scores his 100th international goal in Portugal’s Nations League match against Sweden, becoming just the second man in history to reach the milestone.

October 13, 2020 – Has tested positive for coronavirus, according to a statement by the Portuguese Football Federation.

August 31, 2021 – Manchester United confirms the signing of Ronaldo for a second time, completing his transfer from Juventus.

September 1, 2021 – Breaks the men’s all-time international goalscoring record after scoring two goals against Ireland in the Group A World Cup qualifier in Almancil, Portugal.

October 6, 2021 – A federal judge recommends that the rape case against Ronaldo be dismissed, because Mayorga’s attorneys improperly obtained and used information from leaked documents. On June 10, 2022, the case is dismissed. In 2023, Ronaldo is reimbursed over $300,000 for legal fees he spent while defending himself. US District Judge Jennifer Dorsey ruled the attorney representing Mayorga, Leslie Stovall, pay Ronaldo. The court found Stovall owed the money after the attorney was judged to have harmed the footballer through “bad-faith lawyering.”

March 12, 2022 – Scores his 806th career goal against Tottenham, breaking FIFA’s all-time record for most goals in competitive matches in men’s football history.

April 18, 2022 – Ronaldo and his partner, Georgina Rodriguez, announce that one of their newborn twins, a boy, has died.

November 22, 2022 – Manchester United announces Ronaldo is leaving the English Premier League club with immediate effect. The announcement comes a week after Ronaldo gave an explosive TV interview about his frustrations at the club.

November 24, 2022 – With a goal in Portugal’s opener against Ghana in Qatar, becomes the first male player in history to score at five World Cups.

December 30, 2022 – Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr announces that Ronaldo has joined the team.

March 23, 2023 – Ronaldo breaks the all-time men’s international appearance record after captaining Portugal in its Euro 2024 qualifier against Liechtenstein in Lisbon.

February 28, 2024 – The Saudi Arabian Football Federation announces Ronaldo has been suspended for one match and fined for “provoking” fans in a Saudi Pro League match.

September 5, 2024 – Becomes the first man to score 900 career goals during Portugal’s UEFA Nations League group stage match against Croatia in Lisbon. Ronaldo’s goal is his 131st for Portugal, which extends his record for most international goals in world football.

June 2025 – Signs a new two-year deal with his current club, Al Nassr, reportedly worth more than $400 million in tax free earnings.

June 23, 2026 – Becomes the first player to score in six different World Cup tournaments. Ronaldo has scored during all six consecutive World Cups in which he has played.

The-CNN-Wire
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Democrats intensify scrutiny of David Ellison amid Paramount–WBD legal battle

(CNN) — As Paramount pushes to settle the state antitrust lawsuit that has stymied its deal to buy Warner Bros. Discovery, Democratic lawmakers continue to rally opposition to the deal.On Wednesday, Rep. Jamie Raskin, the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, sent a new letter to Paramount CEO David Ellison accusing him of “colluding” with President Trump and urging him to answer questions.A Paramount spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.The letter highlights Democrats’ concerns about Paramount taking control of Warner-owned CNN. It comes the same week that Paramount chief legal officer Makan Delrahim said of CNN that Ellison “wants to bring it back to news,” a comment that raised eyebrows given that the network has been a global news brand for 46 years.The letter, which was obtained first by CNN, also suggests that Paramount’s dealings with the Trump administration — a relationship Raskin has called “corrupt” — will be a priority for the Judiciary Committee if Democrats regain the House majority in the midterm elections.Raskin opened the missive by acknowledging that Paramount has not responded to his four previous inquiries in the past 12 months.But “now that you have vowed to break your long silence,” he wrote, citing Ellison’s op-ed in The New York Times last week, “I invite you to a transcribed interview to tell Congress and America your story and answer the Committee’s questions about your Donald Trump-enabled shopping spree to consolidate news organizations, movie studios, cable channels, and streaming services.”With Republicans in control of the House, Democrats like Raskin can’t compel Ellison to testify, so the interview demand is a way to amplify his concerns about the deal.The new letter cites reports of “political interference” at Paramount-owned CBS News, which the news division has disputed.“CBS’s own reporters have shared how, under your leadership, the newsroom has catered to President Trump’s political whims and dictates under the watchful eye of a MAGA minder,” Raskin wrote, apparently referring to the accounts of fired “60 Minutes” correspondents.Ellison wrote in the Times op-ed, “Great news organizations like CNN and CBS News are here to tell it straight down the middle. That requires newsrooms that reflect the whole world, not one side of it. And it requires independence. Our journalists will continue to answer to the facts and to all the people they serve — not to any party or cause.”Ellison’s op-ed made no mention of Trump, who has been a pivotal figure throughout the nearly year-long battle for control of Warner Bros. Discovery.Paramount sought a close relationship with Trump and his administration while seeking federal approval of the WBD merger.Ellison’s father Larry, the billionaire Oracle co-founder, has been a close ally of Trump’s for years. Trump has praised both father and son, calling them his “supporters” and expressing confidence in their plans for CBS. Trump has also been outspoken about his desire for CNN to come under new ownership, calling it “imperative.”Raskin’s letter cites an anonymously sourced report from the Wall Street Journal that “David Ellison offered assurances to Trump administration officials that if he bought Warner, he’d make sweeping changes to CNN.”Raskin wrote to Ellison, “You have eagerly shown the president that you are going to deliver on both counts as if you are controlling organs of state media.”The letter also indicated that a Democrat-led Judiciary Committee would probe the Justice Department’s mid-June approval of the Paramount merger, which many critics linked to Trump’s personal interest in the deal.Raskin said the committee would scrutinize whether federal agencies “are successfully promoting free competition and innovation—or whether they are using their governmental powers to distort the market and undermine freedom of speech and freedom of the press, in violation of the First Amendment.”Other Democratic lawmakers have also foreshadowed public hearings and probes about the matter and have supported the state attorneys general lawsuit seeking to stop Paramount’s expansion plan.Sen. Elizabeth Warren wrote in a social media post on Tuesday, “The Paramount–WBD merger isn’t about creating better entertainment. It’s about cutting costs & squeezing workers. Writers, actors, and crew will have fewer employers to work for, which means less bargaining power & lower wages. State AGs are stepping in to fight back.”Paramount has consistently said the deal is pro-competitive, pointing to the regulatory approvals from the Justice Department and other authorities around the world.But the deal is frozen in place due to the state antitrust lawsuit and a parallel lawsuit from the Writers Guild of America.Facing an uphill battle in court, Paramount agreed not to complete the merger until a trial is held or until June 1, 2027. A trial is slated to be held in March, though a settlement is possible before then.Speaking at a Politico conference on Tuesday, Delrahim said “we would be delighted to engage” in settlement talks “in order to repair the industry, create more jobs, bring more jobs and production back.”California Attorney General Rob Bonta said at the same conference that “we will be open to any proposals,” but “right now, we’re focused on litigation and going to trial.”Both men also addressed a report by Puck’s Matt Belloni that Ellison told Paramount’s leadership team that he intends to move the company out of California if the antitrust case isn’t settled by October 1. Ellison has notably not made this threat in public, and Paramount has declined to comment on the report.Delrahim said Paramount doesn’t want to leave the state, but the company has to ”look at the business environment” and “ultimately, you know, go to a place where you’re wanted.”Bonta, speaking earlier in the day, said the leave-California threat “is an attempt to blackmail the regulators who are daring to enforce the law fairly and firmly.”Delrahim said it is not a blackmail attempt, and argued that “this merger is actually going to be good — not only for California — it’ll be good for America.”The-CNN-Wire™ & © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.
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