by Ziggy Keane

Created on: May 23, 2009

Cristiano Ronaldo, although only 24 years old, has a number of career highlights that any veteran would be proud of.

His professional career began with Sporting Clube de Portugal, where he signed in 2001. Previously he had spent time with Andorinha and Nacional at youth team level. He made an immediate impact with Sporting, scoring two goals on his debut against Moreirense.

Two years later, he left sunny Lisbon in search of glory with one of Europe's most famous teams, Manchester United. His wages increased from 400 Euros a week, to 40,000, and it was at Manchester United that he truly became a star.

Given the opportunity to play with some of world soccer's best, such as Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, and Roy Keane, among others, Ronaldo began to flourish. In the beginning, he was criticized for going down too easily, a label he has found tough to shed even now, six years later. In addition, some pundits felt that he was all tricks and no end product; however, in his second season with the club, Ronaldo brought the tricks and an increased ability to score and set up scoring opportunities.

This is not to say that his first season with Manchester United was not a success- he won his first club trophy, the prestigious FA Cup, and was named in the UEFA Team of the Year. Ronaldo was also named in the UEFA Euro 2004 Team of the Tournament following an impressive run to the final that ended in heartbreak with a defeat to Greece.

In the 2004-05 season, Ronaldo again enjoyed individual success, as he was named the FIFPro Special Young Player of the Year.

In the 2005-06 campaign, Ronaldo was once again named as the FIFPro Special Young Player of the Year, and was named in the PFA Premier League Team of the Year. He won the League Cup with Manchester United as well.

In 2006-07, Ronaldo won the Premier League with Manchester United, was named the Portuguese Player of the Year, was named in the UEFA Team of the Year, was named in the FIFPro World XI, won the PFA Players',Young Player, and Fans' Player of the Year, was named the FWA Player of the Year, and was named the Barclays Player of the Season.

In 2007-08, Ronaldo stepped his game up even further, as he claimed the double with Manchester United, winning the Premier League as well as the UEFA Champion's League. Individually, he was named in the UEFA Team of the Year, named in the FIFPro World XI, won the PFA Players' and Fans' Player of the Year, was named in the PFA Premier League Team of the Year, was named the FWA Player of the Year, the Barclays Player of the Season, won the Barclays Golden Boot, the Barclays Merit Award, the European Golden Shoe, UEFA Club Footballer and Forward of the Year, the FIFPro World Player of the Year, and the Ballon D'or, as he was named FIFA Player of the Year.

In the 2008-09 Campaign, Cristiano Ronaldo has a chance of completing a quadruple winning season, as he has already won the FIFA Club World Cup, the League Cup, and the Premier League with Manchester United, and is into the finals of the UEFA Champion's League against Barcelona on May 27th.

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