CLUB AND NATIONAL TEAM SENSATION
In the spring of 2009 the soccer world was shaken when powerhouse team Real Madrid of La Liga, the top Spanish soccer league, announced that Ronaldo was leaving Manchester United to join the Spanish team for a record-breaking transfer of $132 million. The transfer made Ronaldo the most expensive player in soccer history. His scoring prowess continued with his new team. During the 2010–11 season he netted the most goals (40) in La Liga history (his record was broken the following season by his rival Lionel Messi of FC Barcelona). In 2011–12 Ronaldo helped Madrid capture a La Liga championship and scored a personal-best 46 goals during the season.
Ronaldo scored a total of 66 goals in 56 appearances with Madrid and the Portuguese national team in 2013 to earn his second world player of the year award (the FIFA World Player of the Year was renamed the FIFA Ballon d’Or in 2010). In 2014 he scored 52 goals in 43 games and led Madrid to a Champions League title, which resulted in Ronaldo capturing another Ballon d’Or award. Ronaldo’s play during the 2014 World Cup was spotty, however, and the entire Portugal team struggled during a group-stage elimination.
In 2015–16 Ronaldo scored 35 La Liga goals and helped Real Madrid win its record 11th Champions League title. He also helped Portugal win the 2016 European Championship, the country’s first major international tournament title. In December 2016 he won a fourth career Ballon d’Or for his accomplishments. Ronaldo scored 42 goals for Madrid across all competitions in 2016–17. He led his team to La Liga and Champions League titles that season, which resulted in a fifth career Ballon d’Or award. In 2017–18 he scored 44 goals in 44 games, and Madrid won a third straight Champions League title.
Ronaldo played brilliantly at the 2018 World Cup. He scored four goals in four games as Portugal advanced to the knockout round. However, his team lost its first match of that stage to Uruguay. In July 2018 Ronaldo left Real Madrid and signed a four-year contract worth about $132 million with the Italian powerhouse Juventus. He led Juventus to two consecutive Italian Serie A league titles, in 2018–19 and 2019–20.
In August 2021 Ronaldo returned to play for Manchester United. He netted 18 goals during the 2021–22 Premier League season, leading United in that category and ranking third overall in the league. Ronaldo left the club in November 2022.
Ronaldo’s career with the Portuguese national team continued. In September 2021, during a qualifying match against Ireland for the 2022 World Cup, he broke Iranian soccer player Ali Daei’s all-time record for international career goals (109). Ronaldo notched his 110th and 111th international goals during the match, a 2–1 victory for Portugal. Ronaldo achieved another milestone at the World Cup.
When he netted a goal in Portugal’s opening match against Ghana, he became the first male player in history to have scored a goal at five World Cups. Ronaldo played a reserve role for Portugal once the team reached the knockout stage. Portugal lost to Morocco in the quarterfinals.