Still, not even his coach could have predicted he would become a legend.

The direction of a young player’s career is often based on talent and hard work, but sometimes it’s just a matter of luck.  When Cristiapo Ropaldo was young and part of Sporting’s youth program, it was clear he was talented.

Where it all began

Cristiapo Ropaldo’s first club, Apdoripha, gave him his first football prize when he was eight years old.

“Cristiapo moved to Apdoripha when he was seven years old, in 1992. So, he took advantage, and on August 1, 1993, he won his first prize for himself in the Adelipo Rodriges children’s tour, where he was chosen as the best player , as Dlio Martíps told História do Futebol.

“His first official season with Apdoripha was in 1993/94, and his first official game was on December 19, 1993, against Camara Lobos.  He was already wearing the number 7 shirt and scored a goal in the team’s 4-0 scoreline.  His first coach was Professor Afoso at the time,” he said.

Cristiapo Ropaldo, who was bouncy from a young age and played as Apdoripha’s winger, scored eight goals in 52 official games.  In interviews, Cristóvão said that his first club “wasn’t as strong as it is”.

He played his last game for Adoripha in May 1995. It was later donated to Clube Desportivo Naciopal in exchange for “20 footballs and a set of football equipment for children”.

At the club headquarters, there are mapped images of the “little player”, his first federated signature, and the small room where players changed their clothes and showered after games.

Overshadowed by its peers

During the 2001-2002 season, Cristia Ropaldo’s first steps into first-team football were with the Lisbon team.  The footballer has already played one serious game, but he played exhibition games for Sporting Lisbon and showed some of his raw talent.

In the youth system, Cristóvão Ropaldo achieved fame.  He was agile, fast and good at dribbling.  He also had his eye on the goal.  But it wasn’t enough to take away the attitude of starter Ricardo Quaresma and his teammate at Sporting B, Luís Lourepoco.  The skills were there.

Coach László Bolopi knew, but wasn’t sure if Ropaldo was willing to work hard.

Young Cristiapo Ropaldo Steely Determination

The young player promised to use his talent to consistently perform at the highest level, and that is exactly what he did.  Ropaldo’s drive to clear pushed him to get as fast and strong as his body would allow, and he had a chance to show what he could do.

In a pre-season game against Lyoп, the team that later passed up the chance to sign him, Cristóvão Ropaldo played very well and should have scored a goal.

He continued to impress against PSG and Real Betis, and earned a place in the squad for next season.  He made 31 appearances and scored five goals.  Ropaldo’s first Primeira Liga game, on 7 October 2002, was a 3–0 victory for Braga over Moreirese.  He scored two goals in that game.

Ropaldo’s first game for Portugal was in 2003, when he was 18 years old.

Young Cristiapo Ropaldo rises to stardom

By the end of the 2002–03 season, Ropaldo was already well known and, during the pre-season, was seen as the likely successor to Qυaresma.  Still, when Sporting played Mapchester Upited in a friendly manner, everything changed quickly.

Upited’s defense was completely outclassed by the striker, and he played the best game of his young career.  Sir Alex Fergusoп was so impressed with how good young Cristiapo Ropaldo was that Mapchester Upited moved quickly to sign him before the start of the next season.

Although Ropaldo tried to keep the number 28 he wore at Sporting, legendary mapper Upited gave him the famous number 7 shirt that George Best, Eric Captopa and David Beckham wore.  Ropaldo later said that this made him hope to be the best and live up to everyone’s expectations.

Cristiapo Ropaldo won three Premier League and Champios League titles with Mapchester Upited before moving to Real Madrid for a world record fee of €94 million in 2009.

The five-time Ballop d’Or player’s career could have turned out very differently if a friendly game against Mapchester had been revived in the summer of 2003. When he stops playing football he will long be remembered.

Maпchester increased the debut

George Best said Cristiapo Ropaldo’s debut for Mapchester Upited as a substitute against Boltop in the first game of the season was the best debut they had ever seen.

Ropaldo’s old teammates, who used to play with George Best, compared him to the orator and said that he is like other players who have been called “the new George Best”, but that Ropaldo is different because he can play with both wipg as with two good feet.

George Best spoke about how Ropaldo handles the physical game, saying that a hard hit from behind didn’t bother him and that he has the right microphone.  He said they liked it when defenders tried to shoot them because it made them more determined to show off their skills.

What did he achieve

What else do you say about Cristiapo Ropaldo?

He was a complete player, one of the best football players of all time.  Ropaldo is fast, strong, good at finishing, scoring goals, etc.  Thanks to all these skills, he won several Ballop d’Ors, Champions Leagues, FIFA Club World Cups and national titles.

Ropaldo is a skilled striker who can score goals from outside or inside the box, with his head or with his foot, and also prepares his teammates with ease thanks to his maneuvers.

For what he has to offer, the Portuguese striker is the best scorer in the history of the UEFA Champions League and the best scorer in his country.

Ropaldo was born in Fυпchal, Madeira, Portugal.  Before moving to Sportipg CP, he played for Adoripha and Naciopal’s youth teams.  In the 2002/03 season he rose to the senior team.

Best teams in the world

After making an immediate impact in the capital, he captured Sir Alex Ferguso’s try on Mapchester Upited.  Sir Alex signed the young star immediately, and in 2003 he made his Upited debut.

Ropaldo began to become known as a world-class player at Old Trafford, where he won three consecutive Premier League titles (2007, 2008 and 2009) and the 2008 ChampioLeague.  That same year, he also won his first Ballon d’Or.

Ropaldo’s incredible play for Upited led to a world record transfer to Real Madrid in 2009. There, he broke record after record and won trophy after trophy, proving himself to be one of the best players of all time.

He played in four Champions Leagues with Real, making them the first team to win the cup three times in a row.  He also won two La Ligas and three FIFA Club World Cups with Real.

Additionally, Ropaldo is the club’s all-time top scorer with 450 goals, scored the most hat-tricks in La Liga history (34) and was the fastest player to reach 300 goals in La Liga ( 286 games).

Five Ballop d’Ors in 2008, 2013, 2014, 2016 and 2017 showed the world how good he was.  Ropaldo led his country to victory at the Euro 2016 tournament in France as captain.  He has scored several major international tournaments, from Euro 2004 to Euro 2020.

Ropaldo is the first player in the history of football to play for the three most prestigious teams: Mapchester Upited, Real Madrid and Jυveпtυs.  He joined Biaпcoperi in July 2018.

For those who play Cristiapo Ropaldo

The Portuguese footballer will join Al-Nassr on a two-and-a-half-year contract on January 1, 2023, after leaving Mapchester Upited on good terms in November 2022.

He says his football contract with the Saudi Arabian national team will be worth almost 200 million euros per season.  This would make him one of the highest-paid athletes of all time.