Despite the sacrifices Cristiano Ronaldo made to become the world’s best player, being a good person matters more to him.
Ronaldo is part of a rare breed of individuals who overcame their unprivileged backgrounds to achieve greatness after beginning his life as the son of a gardener and cook in the barren island of Madeira, Portugal.
Having to leave his family at only 11 years old to pursue his dreams was ‘the most difficult thing’ the Juventus forward had ever done.
14 years later, however, it’s safe to say it paid off well as Ronaldo is a five-time Ballon d’Or winner with many incredible records and over 750 career goals.
That never-ending hunger to prove himself against the very best and go where no footballer has gone before has made him one of the greatest in history, if not the very best.
“I made sacrifices to be the best in the world, but the most important thing for me is being a good person,” Ronaldo told boxer Gennady Golovkin in a DAZN documentary called ‘Parallel Worlds’ via Marca.
“I was born on the island of Madeira and, when I was 11, Sporting CP went to speak to my parents.
“They told them that they were interested in me, but that I’d have to leave to live in Lisbon.
“Leaving my family is the most difficult thing I’ve done in my life. My toughest moments were when I moved to Lisbon and when I lost my father.
“I think it’s good to have emotions. I don’t hide who I am. People say men don’t cry but, who said men don’t cry? We all have feelings and emotions and we have to express them.”
