Cristiano Ronaldo: What Kind Of Memories Will He Leave Behind?

Cristiano Ronaldo Dos Santos Aveiro, or simply Cristiano Ronaldo, as he's better known to the world.

The 26 year old Portuguese & World Football Icon could easily be considered one of the more famous World Football athletes on and off the field in the history of the game.

Ronaldo was born in Funchal, Madeira, Portugal. He began his young soccer career at Andorinha and Nacional Da Madeira before being transferred to Sporting Clube de Portugal. 

He made his professional debut in 2002 at the age of 16. It was very clear from the get go that Ronaldo not only had what was needed to be a top level player, but he had that extra flair and excitement in his game that not very many players have. 

Ronaldo had been rumored to join Liverpool after then manager Gerard Houllier had noticed his potential, but Houllier decided that Ronaldo was still too young and needed to develop as a player. At the time he was still only 16 years old.

Little did Houllier know what he had just passed up.

During the inauguration game of the new Jose Alvalade Stadium in 2003, where Sporting CP defeated Sir Alex Ferguson's Manchester United by a score of 3-1, Ronaldo caught Ferguson's attention. After leaving that match, Ferguson was convinced that Ronaldo had everything that was needed to be a superstar.

Manchester United signed Ronaldo for €15 million in 2003. Many had come out and said Ronaldo would be the substitute for David Beckham, and he already was dealing with some pressure. Ronaldo asked to wear the number 28 as he did at Sporting CP because he didn’t want to add to the already high expectations. 

While wearing the colors of the Red Devils, Ronaldo put his name on the map.

Ronaldo's name was mentioned in almost every soccer conversation. He was able to break a 20 goal barrier for the first time while he picked up his first Premier League title with Manchester United.

He is one of the very few to win back to back Barclays Player of the Month awards, along with Dennis Bergkamp and Robbie Fowler.

During his time at Old Trafford, Ronaldo capped off a stellar six seasons with 292 appearances and 118 goals in all competitions. Those are very good stats for a young man that arrived at one of the biggest clubs in history at just the age of 18.

During the summer of 2009, Cristiano Ronaldo once again made the headlines after getting transferred to Real Madrid for £80 million. He holds to date the highest transfer fee in the history of World Football.

Ronaldo was welcomed and presented as the newest member of Los Merengue’s in front of a packed to capacity Bernabeu Stadium.

He is today considered to be one of if not the highest profile player in possibly all of sports. After a first year in Madrid where he appeared 35 times and put the ball in the back of the net 33 times, it was more than clear that he was influential no matter where he played.

As his name became more and more a household name, he started to become a regular in the media. He is loved by many, but there are also many people in the world who dislike Ronaldo because of his attitude on and off the field. Now it is obvious that the love or hate factor is all a matter of personal opinion, but in reality what kind of legacy will he leave behind when all is said and done.

From listening to discussions and arguments about him, it seems that the only people that really "dislike" Ronaldo are those who are avid Messi fans.

But what is there to hate?

He is arguably the fastest player in the game today. He has all the best and greatest characteristics any great player should have.

He not only scores but he is capable of creating numerous opportunities for his teammates. Looking at it from a neutral stand point, undoubtedly he will go down in history as one of if not the greatest player ever.

He is only 26 years old and he still has many years ahead of him in what is considered to be the most popular sport in the world. The fact that he hit such high levels at such a young age is only going to help him in the long run.

In 40 to 50 years’ time, will people talk about Ronaldo in a positive way, or will his legacy be tarnished because of the image the media has given him?

Clearly only time will tell, but how can a force of nature and phenomenal player on the field ever be considered anything but perfect?