Before Cristiano Ronaldo rose to fame and became one of the biggest sports stars on the planet, there was the one and only Ronaldo.
The Brazilian “El Fenomeno”, who turns 40 today, is one of the greatest footballers of all time.
He won the FIFA World Cup twice with Brazil as a teenager in 1994, and again in 2002, where he scored twice in the final en route to scooping the Golden Boot award as tournament top scorer. He was also part of the Selecao squad that lost to France in the 1998 final.
Ronaldo is a three-time FIFA World Player of the Year and two-time Ballon d’Or recipient. He is the second-highest goalscorer for his national team with 62 goals in 98 matches.
At club level, Ronaldo was part of Real Madrid’s “Galacticos” who won two La Liga titles in 2002/03 and 2006/07. He also starred for Barcelona and Internazionale.
Other sports icons born on this day:
1971: Lance Armstrong, disgraced US cyclist, who was stripped of his seven Tour de France titles for doping (45).
1974: Sol Campbell, ex-England international footballer. Defender who played for Tottenham and Arsenal (42).
1977: Kieran West, British rower, who won an Olympic gold medal in Sydney 2000 (39).
1989: Serge Ibaka, Congolese-Spanish NBA player, who plays for the Orlando Magic (27).
