⚽🏟️💥Here are five facts about Cristiano Ronaldo's 39th birthday
1. Interest from Liverpool and Arsenal
Ronaldo announced himself to the world during a pre-season friendly match with Manchester United in 2003, and a few days later Manchester United convinced him. However, there was great interest in the Portuguese star from Liverpool and Arsenal. The Reds' coach admitted that they could not transfer Ronaldo due to salary demands.
2. The CR7 Galaxy
in 2015, a galaxy was discovered by a group of astronomers led by David Sobral and named it Cosmos Redshift 7, #CR7 , short for Ronaldo. The researchers confirmed that the naming of the galaxy was not a coincidence, but they named it after the Portuguese.
3. Coursework at the University
The Okanagan University of British Columbia, a Canadian university, began teaching a course about the life of Cristiano Ronaldo to Sociology students in 2015.
4. Cristiano Ronaldo Airport
In 2016, the Portuguese government announced that Madeira Airport will change its name to Cristiano Ronaldo International Airport. And in 2017, the rebranded terminal was officially opened.
5. The Ballon d'Or was sold for charity
Ronaldo is one of the very few footballers in the world who does not have a tattoo and does not drink, due to his participation in social work and blood donation programs. He is also a well-known philanthropist. In 2017, the Portuguese star donated £600,000 to the Make a Wish Foundation by selling a copy of one of his Ballon d'Or.
Apart from that, Ronaldo scored 128 goals for Portugal, becoming the player with the most international appearances (205). He is also the player who has scored the most goals in the UEFA Champions League (140).
It is worth noting that Ronaldo played for some of the biggest clubs in the world, such as Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus, where he created history and soon became a legend.
Ronaldo made 438 appearances with Madrid, scoring 450 goals, breaking the unbeaten record and providing 131 assists.