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Discover the incredible life of Cristiano Ronaldo, one of the greatest football players in history.

This documentary follows his inspiring journey from growing up on the island of Madeira, Portugal, to becoming a global football icon. Learn about his childhood, early struggles, Sporting CP, Manchester United, Real Madrid, Juventus, Al Nassr, Portugal national team, business ventures, records, family life, and lasting legacy.
Transcript
00:00:00Which version of Cristiano Ronaldo do you think was the best?
00:00:03Some say it was his early years in Madrid.
00:00:07Others might say it was during the three-peat.
00:00:11But for me, no football player in history comes close to the 07-08 version of Ronaldo.
00:00:21At 23 years old, this man was without a doubt the deadliest winger the world has ever seen,
00:00:26and literally no defender could stop him.
00:00:29But to get to this point, his story was even more impossible than it seems.
00:00:32As a child, he had to beg for food, sweep the streets,
00:00:35and was even diagnosed with a heart defect that should have ended his life before it even began.
00:00:40So, in order to understand how Ronaldo became the most terrifying winger in the history of the game,
00:00:45we have to start from the very beginning.
00:00:47February 5th, 1985.
00:00:50Cristiano Ronaldo was born on the Portuguese island of Madeira,
00:00:53located over a thousand kilometers from Lisbon.
00:00:55He's the youngest of four children, but he was almost not even born at all,
00:00:59as his family was extremely poor, and his father was an alcoholic,
00:01:03which caused a lot of strain on the family.
00:01:05So his mother wanted to have Ronaldo aborted, as she simply couldn't afford to look after him.
00:01:09The doctors didn't allow her to go through with it,
00:01:11but she still made her own attempts by drinking warm beer and running long distances.
00:01:15But God had a plan for Cristiano, so, just like that, the boy was born.
00:01:20His early years were still very tough, with his mother working as a cook and a cleaner just to make
00:01:25ends meet,
00:01:25and her children often had to join her when she was sweeping the streets,
00:01:28while Ronaldo's dad suffered from mental health issues.
00:01:31He was a former soldier who was shipped off to fight in Angola,
00:01:34where the soldiers would drink beer rather than untreated water,
00:01:37causing Ronaldo's dad to become an alcoholic,
00:01:39and his alcoholism made it hard for him to hold down a job.
00:01:42Ronaldo had to share a room with his siblings, and the only time he could escape from his worries
00:01:46was when he was playing street football with makeshift goals on the dirty roads of his hometown.
00:01:51He would even skip meals and skip school to play street football,
00:01:55and was so poor that his first football was made of rags.
00:01:58Ronaldo would often cry when things didn't go his way, both on the pitch and off it,
00:02:03giving him the nickname Crybaby.
00:02:04But his hatred of losing meant he kept pushing himself to be a better footballer,
00:02:08and his father eventually found a job as a kit man for Andorinha in the fifth tier of Portuguese football.
00:02:14And this meant that at the age of seven,
00:02:15Ronaldo landed himself a spot in the youth academy where he very quickly stood out,
00:02:20winning individual awards in local football tournaments and earning the nickname Abelinha,
00:02:24or Little B, for his small size and quick speed.
00:02:27And soon he would make his first transfer to Clube Desportivo Nacional,
00:02:30one of the biggest clubs on the island.
00:02:32But the transfer fee for Cristiano Ronaldo was far from the millions he would command in his later career.
00:02:37This transfer was just 20 footballs and some equipment for his former team.
00:02:41Talk about a bargain!
00:02:42By that time, people were starting to notice him,
00:02:45with his childhood friend Jose Semedo saying that at every tournament he went for the age of 10,
00:02:49he was named the best player.
00:02:50And it wasn't long before Sporting Lisbon wouldn't visit the island set a challenge for the youth academy.
00:02:55The player who scores the most goals gets his spot in the academy.
00:02:58By the end of the match, Ronaldo was tied on goals with his friend Albert Fantau,
00:03:02but his friend then passed Ronaldo the ball to let him score and win the academy spot,
00:03:06with Fantau saying he knew Ronaldo could go all the way.
00:03:09So Sporting signed Ronaldo for 1,500 euros,
00:03:12and young Cristiano would have to say goodbye to his former life
00:03:15and move to Sporting's famous Academia de Alucete on the mainland 1,000 kilometers away from home.
00:03:21But life in Lisbon was not easy, and Ronaldo was bullied by his teammates,
00:03:25often having physical confrontations with them as he struggled to control his emotions.
00:03:29Ronaldo felt homesick, and he was so poor that he even had to beg for food at his local McDonald's.
00:03:35He'd wait outside late at night for leftover burgers till around 11pm,
00:03:39and luckily, a few employees took pity on him and gave him some free burgers.
00:03:42At school, Ronaldo's classmates mocked his Madeira accent and bullied him for being different.
00:03:47But this only made Ronaldo even more determined to succeed,
00:03:50and he spent all his free time working hard to be the best footballer possible.
00:03:54Ronaldo was so competitive that he would race his friends to the gym,
00:03:57and when he'd lose, he wouldn't talk to them for days.
00:03:59He struggled in school, though, and at one point threw a cheer at a teacher
00:04:03who he thought had disrespected him.
00:04:04But this got him expelled from school, meaning he only had one option left,
00:04:08make it pro or live the rest of his life in poverty.
00:04:11His mom said if he didn't make it as a footballer, he would have become a bricklayer,
00:04:14and many of his coaches thought this was the best case for him,
00:04:17as they said he was too skinny and weak to make it as a footballer,
00:04:20and soon he would receive some news that would almost end his career before it got started.
00:04:24At age 15, Cristiano Ronaldo had a major health scare,
00:04:27as he was diagnosed with a rare heart condition called tachycardia,
00:04:31which happens when the heart beats too fast, beating at a resting rate of more than 100 beats a minute.
00:04:35This was devastating news for Ronaldo, as it meant he might have to quit being a footballer.
00:04:40But instead, Sporting made a dramatic decision to try to save his career
00:04:44by getting doctors to operate on the 15-year-old and use a laser to cauterize parts of his heart.
00:04:48And thankfully, the operation was a success, so much so that he was back on the pitch just days after
00:04:54surgery,
00:04:54and it wasn't long before his dedication finally started paying off.
00:04:58Because when he was 16, Cristiano was promoted up through the ranks of Sporting's youth teams,
00:05:02becoming the first player to play with the club's under-16 team, under-17 team, under-18 team, B team,
00:05:08and senior team all in one season.
00:05:10By August 2002, he made his senior debut for Sporting in the Champions League qualifying round against Inter Milan,
00:05:16where he came on in the 58th minute and showed off his dribbling skills on the wing with his raw
00:05:20talent being on display.
00:05:22His coach, Ladisla Bologna, thought that he was dribbling too much and that he had to fight with Ronaldo to
00:05:27stop him dribbling.
00:05:28But already Bologna could see that Ronaldo was a born competitor with a special maturity for his age,
00:05:33so he decided Ronaldo would stay with the senior team, and he believed that as long as he avoided injuries,
00:05:38he would be a very good player.
00:05:40Ronaldo was lightning quick and could dribble through the entire team single-handedly, but he was very skinny,
00:05:46weighing only 60 kilograms, meaning he was going to struggle to hold his own against big defenders.
00:05:51But still, Ronaldo soon made his league debut for Sporting, coming off the bench against Braga, and in his next
00:05:56game against Morenze,
00:05:58he would start the match, and in his first start, Ronaldo would score his first and second goals for Sporting
00:06:03in a 3-0 win.
00:06:04He went on to finish that season with 11 starts in the league and 14 appearances off the bench,
00:06:09and with a total of five goals and six assists in all competitions, but already it was clear he was
00:06:13destined for bigger things.
00:06:15So Ronaldo's new agent, Jorge Mendes, started offering him around to Europe's top clubs.
00:06:19Barcelona rejected him, Liverpool rejected him, and the only club to show interest at this time was Arsenal.
00:06:25But the deal fell through, and in a few years, Arsene Wenger's side would really be living to regret that.
00:06:30But now, it wouldn't be long for Cristiano to play in one match that would change his entire life, but
00:06:35believe me, the struggles were far from over.
00:06:38Now, if you're enjoying the story so far, I promise it gets so much crazier with more drama, heartache, and
00:06:44ultimately glory.
00:06:45But first, if you really think Ronaldo is the greatest of all time, subscribe, because I think so too.
00:06:50And it seems like so did Sir Alex Ferguson, but at this point in the story, he just saw the
00:06:55raw potential,
00:06:56because Manchester United were keeping close tabs on Ronaldo, with assistant manager Carlos Cueroz recommending him to Alex Ferguson even
00:07:03before Ronaldo had made his debut.
00:07:05But United at this time were trying very hard to sign Ronaldinho, as he was one of the best wingers
00:07:09in the world, but they just couldn't get that deal over the line.
00:07:13It was then a pre-season friendly where United faced Sporting where Ronaldo started and stole the show.
00:07:18He wasn't even supposed to play in this game, but Sporting had sold their main winger, Quaresma, just a week
00:07:23earlier, meaning he was next in line.
00:07:25And after the game ended, the entire Manchester United team was begging Ferguson to sign him.
00:07:30Michael Silvestre said, at the start, no one had even heard of Ronaldo, but by the end, everyone knew about
00:07:35him.
00:07:35So, before United left Lisbon, Ferguson spoke with Ronaldo and Jorge Mendes while the players waited on the coach for
00:07:42more than an hour,
00:07:43while Ferguson fast-tracked negotiations to make sure that no other club could sign Ronaldo before United,
00:07:48and it was Ferguson's personality that made Ronaldo choose to join the Red Devils,
00:07:52who initially planned to loan Ronaldo back to Sporting for one more season to help him develop as a footballer.
00:07:56But after his incredible performance, they decided to bring him straight to Manchester.
00:08:00This was a key decision, because Barcelona were still interested in Ronaldo, but wanted to wait one more year before
00:08:06signing.
00:08:06So, eventually, when Ferguson got on the team coach and was asked by the Manchester United players if he had
00:08:11signed Ronaldo, Ferguson just smiled.
00:08:14It was just a matter of days until the deal was sealed, and Cristiano Ronaldo arrived in Manchester to sign
00:08:19for United for £12 million,
00:08:21which was at the time the most expensive fee paid by a British club for a teenage footballer as the
00:08:26rise to the top was set to kick off.
00:08:28But the pressure was about to get so much bigger.
00:08:34Ronaldo had worn the No. 28 shirt at Sporting and actually chose that number at United too, but Ferguson refused.
00:08:40He decided an 18-year-old Ronaldo was worthy of the iconic No. 7 jersey, which had been worn by
00:08:45United legends such as George Best, Eric Cantona and David Beckham.
00:08:49So, immediately, there were huge expectations and pressure for the 18-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo, who said,
00:08:55I was forced to live up to such an honour.
00:08:57But his move was so rushed and unexpected that he didn't have any time to prepare, so he arrived in
00:09:02Manchester unable to speak any English, and with an accent like Fergie's, communication was going to be impossible.
00:09:07Still, it wouldn't be long until Ronaldo made his debut for Manchester United in the first game of the season
00:09:12against Bolton Wanderers.
00:09:14And, while Ronaldo started on the substitutes bench, he was brought on for the last 29 minutes of the match
00:09:19and played so well that Manchester United legend George Best said,
00:09:22It was undoubtedly the most exciting debut performance I've ever seen, saying that Ronaldo was genuinely two-footed and that
00:09:29he dealt well with the physical side of the game as United won 4-0 and Ronaldo won a penalty
00:09:34with his dribbling skills.
00:09:35And after the game, even no-nonsense Bolton manager Sam Allardyce was praising him, saying Ronaldo changed the game.
00:09:41And a few days later, he would also make his international debut for the Portugal senior team, playing the second
00:09:46half of a friendly match against Kazakhstan after replacing captain Luis Figo at halftime.
00:09:50The following month, Ronaldo would make his first Premier League start for United against Charlton Athletic, and a few days
00:09:56later, he would make his first start in the Champions League group stage against Stuttgart.
00:09:59And, at that time, he was used on both the left wing and the right wing, and it was on
00:10:03the right wing where he would score his first Premier League goal with a free kick against Portsmouth before getting
00:10:09an assist a few minutes later as United won 3-0.
00:10:11But, while Ronaldo was being praised by George Best, he was being slammed by the English media for his elaborate
00:10:17step-overs and a perception that he was showing off, with BBC pundit Alan Hansen saying,
00:10:22He's got the tricks and party pieces, but they're not much good unless there's something at the end of it
00:10:26all.
00:10:27And all of Ronaldo's silky skills and dyed blonde hair made him a target for defenders who wanted to injure
00:10:32him.
00:10:32Even from his first match for United when opposition defender Mickey Hunt admitted later that, with one of his first
00:10:37touches, I put him on the deck.
00:10:38In his first season at United, Ronaldo was full of tricks but didn't score many goals or get many assists,
00:10:44with teammate Paul Scholes saying,
00:10:45He used to drive you up the wall because he's doing all these tricks and flicks, but we wanted to
00:10:49see people score goals and make goals.
00:10:52And he was still too skinny for the physical Premier League, so he used to put weights on his ankles
00:10:56in training to get stronger.
00:10:57But Scholes wasn't the only United player frustrated with Ronaldo, as Manchester United star striker Rud van Nistelrooy was also
00:11:04losing patience with the Portuguese winger, saying that he had a telepathic bond with David Beckham.
00:11:09But after Ronaldo came in, it was different, as he would dribble everywhere and be unpredictable, and he would often
00:11:14berate Ronaldo in training for not crossing the ball.
00:11:17And eventually van Nistelrooy got so frustrated that he exploded at Ronaldo in a verbal attack that could destroy any
00:11:23young player's confidence.
00:11:24For Ferguson, it was like van Nistelrooy had attacked his own son, and this would prove to be the end
00:11:28of his career at United, as Fergie opted to protect Cristiano, shifting the Dutch striker out of the club, that's
00:11:34a couple years down the line.
00:11:35In that first season, Cristiano only scored six goals and was still adapting to the English game as Manchester United
00:11:41struggled throughout the season, finishing 15 points off Arsenal, who had just gone invincible.
00:11:46This was a transitional period for United. Beckham had left, the treble-winning team was aging, and the future of
00:11:52the club was being placed in two young superstars in Rooney and Ronaldo, both of whom were still just teenagers.
00:11:58Ronaldo also had an electric Euro campaign in the summer of 2004, where he made it to the final and
00:12:03was named in the team of the tournament, as he was now being talked about as the best young player
00:12:07in the world, but still, he was far from the finished article.
00:12:10Ronaldo started slowly in his second season at United and didn't even score a Premier League goal until December, with
00:12:15even Manchester United's official website saying his second term didn't quite live up to his first.
00:12:20And, at this stage, it was unclear whether the young player would reach his full potential.
00:12:25Sometimes, his attempts to try to do too much on the pitch angered his manager, with Ferguson once even giving
00:12:30Ronaldo the famous hair-tryer treatment, yelling,
00:12:33Who do you think you are? and making Ronaldo cry in the dressing room in front of his teammates.
00:12:37But, this was because Ferguson knew Ronaldo's potential and also knew that talent alone wasn't enough.
00:12:43And, it's this tough love that would help Cristiano become a great as Sir Alex forced him to confront his
00:12:48weaknesses and work even harder to be the best.
00:12:51But, whilst trying to make it in Manchester, life was about to get a lot harder for Cristiano.
00:12:59At the start of his third season at United, while on international duty, Portugal head coach Luis Felipe Scolari had
00:13:05to pass on some terrible news that Ronaldo's father had passed away.
00:13:09Scolari said nobody knew how to tell him, and nobody wanted to.
00:13:13So, Scolari had to break the news to Ronaldo, who was determined to play despite the heartbreaking news, and said,
00:13:19I can't do anything for my father today, so I'll play tomorrow.
00:13:22Just 20 years old at the time, Ronaldo had to deal with the death of his father who, after a
00:13:26lifetime of drinking, passed away from a liver problem in 2005.
00:13:30And, although Ronaldo said, I never really knew him well, he would have liked to know him better, and has
00:13:35struggled to talk about the subject,
00:13:36even breaking down in tears on TV when seeing a video of his late father telling him how proud he
00:13:41was of him,
00:13:42and he has said he keeps his father's ashes with him at his house and talks to them all the
00:13:46time to help him be a better person.
00:13:48That third season at Old Trafford, Ronaldo again started slowly, and was letting his frustrations get the better of him,
00:13:53as he was also banned for one match by UEFA for showing his middle finger to Benfica fans who abused
00:13:58him in a Champions League match,
00:14:00with Ronaldo saying,
00:14:01There's nothing to justify the way the crowd treated me.
00:14:03But after that, he hit a purple patch in February, scoring five goals in three games,
00:14:07and finished the season with 12 goals overall, as United finished second behind Chelsea.
00:14:12And Ronaldo's form was starting to become more consistent, but it wasn't enough for Ruud van Nistelrooy,
00:14:16whose frustrations at Ronaldo caused him to lose his temper in training one day and shout,
00:14:20What are you going to do? Complain to your daddy?
00:14:22Which, although it was referring to United coach Carlos Quiroz,
00:14:26still reminded Ronaldo of his father's death eight months earlier, and caused him to break down in tears.
00:14:31And that incident was the last straw, as Ferguson decided the two couldn't play together,
00:14:35and decided to sell Van Nistelrooy to Real Madrid that summer.
00:14:38So, Ronaldo would have to instead build a partnership with Wayne Rooney,
00:14:41and that was put in jeopardy that summer at the World Cup,
00:14:44in an incident that would make Cristiano Ronaldo become the most hated man in England.
00:14:48Portugal started the World Cup with three wins in Group D,
00:14:51and Ronaldo became the youngest player to score for Portugal at the World Cup when he scored a penalty against
00:14:55Iran.
00:14:55A win against the Netherlands set up a quarter-final showdown against England in an extremely tight game
00:15:00that went in Portugal's favor after Ronaldo's Manchester United teammate Wayne Rooney stamped on Ricardo Carvalho and was sent off.
00:15:07But Ronaldo was one of the Portuguese players trying to get the referee to send Rooney off,
00:15:11and then a TV camera caught him winking at the Portuguese bench, causing English media to suggest he had influenced
00:15:16the referee.
00:15:17And after Portugal beat England on penalties, anger against Ronaldo was so high that one newspaper even published a dartboard
00:15:23with his face on it
00:15:25and reported that Rooney would snap Ronaldo in two the next time they trained together.
00:15:29Ronaldo was so unhappy in England at that point that he even told a Portuguese newspaper,
00:15:33I don't want to stay in England.
00:15:34But his teammates at United had his back, with Rooney already talking to Ronaldo after the game
00:15:39and understanding why Ronaldo tried to get him sent off, saying that he would do the same.
00:15:43So he told Ronaldo good luck for the rest of the tournament, and when Ronaldo returned to United after the
00:15:47summer,
00:15:48he was a changed man and had even grown stronger in the summer by hitting the gym.
00:15:52And when he was back at Manchester United's Carrington Training Ground, Rooney said,
00:15:55This is in the past. Let's speak about the present. Let's win trophies together.
00:15:59And that season, even though fans booed him at every Premier League stadium he visited,
00:16:03Cristiano Ronaldo had his best season so far, scoring 23 goals, including six in three games in December,
00:16:09as Manchester United won the Premier League for the first time in four years.
00:16:13But that wasn't enough for Ronaldo, who wanted to be even better, and even told United coach Rene Mullenstein
00:16:19that he wanted to be the best player in the world.
00:16:21So he analyzed video clips and worked on how to improve his striking ability,
00:16:25spending hours working on his positioning and his finishing from all different angles,
00:16:29and also developed his legendary free-kick technique.
00:16:32Mullenstein said Ronaldo always wanted to score the perfect goal, a 25-yard shot into the top corner.
00:16:37But he made Ronaldo work on shooting from other places and set him a target of 40 goals for the
00:16:41next season,
00:16:42almost double what he had scored the season before.
00:16:44And now, here we are, entering the greatest individual season in Premier League history,
00:16:50the version of Cristiano Ronaldo that lives in the heart of all football fans around the world.
00:16:55What a year!
00:16:56Some people forget that Ronaldo actually had a slow start to this season.
00:17:00He got a red card in the second game of the season for head-butting an opponent.
00:17:03Even when he came back from his ban, he didn't score until the last game of September.
00:17:07But then, he hit the best form of his career so far, and smashed his target of 40 goals by
00:17:12scoring 42 goals that season,
00:17:14and also getting 8 assists, giving him 50 goal contributions in 49 games, which, for a striker, is incredible.
00:17:20But Ronaldo wasn't even playing as a striker, he was still playing as a winger in a 4-4-2,
00:17:24which made that feat even more unbelievable.
00:17:26United went neck-and-neck with Chelsea in the Premier League, but even the strength of Chelsea couldn't stop Ronaldo,
00:17:32whose stunning partnership with Rudy tore teams to shreds like Aston Villa,
00:17:36who United beat 4-0 with Ronaldo scoring with a back heel.
00:17:39And the battle between United and Chelsea went back and forth with United's second until March,
00:17:44when they took the top spot and held on with Chelsea right behind them,
00:17:47until Ronaldo scored a penalty on the final day of the season to seal their second Premier League title in
00:17:52a row.
00:17:53But this season got even more magical. Once we look at Europe that season,
00:17:57Ronaldo scored one of his trademark headers against Rome in the Champions League quarterfinals, seemingly defying gravity.
00:18:02Then, in the semifinals against Barcelona, Ronaldo had the chance to give United the lead, but he missed a penalty.
00:18:08But United won the second leg 1-0 to reach the Champions League final in Moscow, where they faced Chelsea.
00:18:13And Ronaldo scored the opening goal for United with another towering header.
00:18:16Frank Lampard equalized, and the game would go to penalties in the Russian reign.
00:18:20Ronaldo missed his penalty, giving John Terry the chance to win the match for Chelsea.
00:18:25But God was on Ronaldo's side as he slipped and missed his spot kick too.
00:18:30And then, Nicolas Anelka also missed for Manchester United to win the European Champions League.
00:18:35This was the pinnacle of his career so far, the day he dreamed of his entire life, and he just
00:18:39wished his father could see it all happen.
00:18:42As the United players partied the night away, Ronaldo was back in the training pitch the very next day because
00:18:47for him, this was only the start.
00:18:49Ronaldo's incredible performances that season would see him win the FIFA World Player of the Year award and also his
00:18:55first Ballon d'Or, where he would beat Lionel Messi and Liverpool's Fernando Torres.
00:18:59He also picked up pretty much every individual award you can think of in England, as he was named the
00:19:03best football player in the world.
00:19:05But despite being a hero at Old Trafford, Ronaldo was dreaming of the Bernabeu and even openly told his teammates
00:19:11he wanted to leave, saying he had been at United for long enough and even suggested that United forcing him
00:19:16to stay was like slavery.
00:19:17And Manchester United made him train in a white training bib as he wanted to wear the white of Real
00:19:23Madrid so badly, but they refused to sell him that summer.
00:19:25And Ronaldo said that while he wanted a new challenge, he would put his heart and soul into Manchester United
00:19:30for one more year.
00:19:31But all his hard work on the training ground had caused damage to his cartilage in his right ankle and
00:19:36he needed surgery.
00:19:37So, he ended up missing the start of the 2008-09 season and United struggled without him, losing in the
00:19:43Community Shield and Super Cup and dropping to 15th place in the league.
00:19:46But when he came back, he scored eight goals in eight games to fire United up the table.
00:19:51And by January, United were top of the league where they would stay until the end of the season to
00:19:56win their third Premier League title in a row thanks to 18 league goals and seven assists from CR7.
00:20:02But it was the Champions League where Ronaldo would perform his real magic in the quarterfinals against Porto where fans
00:20:08were booing the former sporting player.
00:20:09He hit a shot from 40 yards out at an incredible 64 miles per hour right into the top corner
00:20:15to win the game for United and win Ronaldo the Puskas award for the best goal of the year by
00:20:20any player in the world.
00:20:22He would then score twice in the semi-final against Arsenal to set up a final against Barcelona and a
00:20:27showdown against Lionel Messi in the only time the pair faced each other in the Champions League final.
00:20:31But unfortunately, it was Messi who was victorious on the night with Barcelona winning 2-0 and Messi also winning
00:20:37that year's Ballon d'Or with Ronaldo finishing second as this game could be seen as the beginning of a
00:20:42decade-long battle between the pair.
00:20:44Following this final defeat, Cristiano Ronaldo managed to get the move to Real Madrid he had been longing for.
00:20:50And this did not come cheap as they forked out a world record 94 million euros to make Ronaldo the
00:20:55most expensive and best played football player in the world.
00:20:58So, after seven years at Old Trafford and going from a skinny show pony to the best player in the
00:21:03world, Cristiano Ronaldo said goodbye to Sir Alex and left the club that would forever hold a special place in
00:21:09his heart.
00:21:10But, as you know, Ronaldo's story does not end here and in fact, it's only just getting started.
00:21:15On the 26th of June 2009, Cristiano Ronaldo signed for a struggling Real Madrid side and despite already being one
00:21:21of the best players in the world,
00:21:23over the next nine years he left a legacy that literally nobody believed could be possible.
00:21:27Because in a total of 438 games, he scored 450 goals, won 16 major trophies and lifted the Ballon d
00:21:34'Or four times.
00:21:35And all of this happening when Lionel Messi and Barcelona were arguably at the peak of their powers.
00:21:40This is a story that simply shouldn't have been possible.
00:21:43These are games that shouldn't have been won. Goals that shouldn't have been scored, but yet they were.
00:21:47And to understand how this all happened, we have to head to Santiago Bernabeu in the summer of 2009,
00:21:52as the stadium was packed in white with 80,000 fans crammed in to see one man, Cristiano Ronaldo.
00:22:09His unveiling ceremony was attended by more fans than any other unveiling in football history,
00:22:15as Ronaldo stood in front of the fans and said,
00:22:17I have made my childhood dream a reality.
00:22:20But at this time, he was not CR7, but instead started his Real Madrid career wearing the number 9 jersey.
00:22:26His £80 million fee was a world record,
00:22:28and his wages over the six-year contract would total more than £100 million on top of that.
00:22:33And at this time, Real Madrid needed to spend huge money,
00:22:36as they were up against one of the greatest teams ever assembled, Pep Guardiola's Barcelona.
00:22:41That Barcelona team with Xavi and Andres Iniesta in midfield were dominating world football,
00:22:46and had finished nine points ahead of Real Madrid the previous season.
00:22:49And of course, they had Lionel Messi up front, who was about to win his first Ballon d'Or,
00:22:53matching Ronaldo's one Ballon d'Or from his time at United.
00:22:56So, Real Madrid had a huge task ahead of them when Ronaldo joined the club,
00:23:00and a rivalry that would span the next decade was about to be born.
00:23:04Now, Cristiano Ronaldo got off to a strong start at Real Madrid, scoring on his debut against Deportivo La Coruña,
00:23:10and then scoring five goals in his first four games,
00:23:13making him the first Real Madrid player to score in their first four La Liga matches.
00:23:17And he also scored two goals in both of his first two Champions League games for Madrid.
00:23:21But then, while on international duty,
00:23:23he suffered an ankle injury that would keep him out for the next six La Liga matches,
00:23:27and Real would lose one of those and draw another before Ronaldo would return for his first El Clasico ever.
00:23:33But he could only manage 65 minutes of the game, as Madrid would lose 1-0.
00:23:38As the season progressed, Ronaldo struggled to find his form over the winter,
00:23:42scoring just twice in December and twice in January in La Liga,
00:23:45and even getting sent off against Malaga, until finally Ronaldo would hit top form in February,
00:23:51scoring or getting an assist in all but three games in the rest of that La Liga season.
00:23:56But one of those blanks again came against Barcelona, who did the double over Madrid,
00:24:00and that second loss to Barcelona would prove costly,
00:24:03as Real Madrid would finish the season on 96 points, just three points behind their rivals from Catalunya.
00:24:09And there was little luck for Madrid in cup competitions either,
00:24:13as they would lose in the last 16 of the Champions League against Lyon Alcorcon.
00:24:17In this injury-plagued season, Ronaldo wasn't even Real Madrid's top scorer in La Liga, scoring 26 goals, one fewer
00:24:24than Gonzalo Higuain.
00:24:25And Ronaldo's total in all competitions was 33, far behind Messi's 47 for the campaign.
00:24:31As it stood, Ronaldo was performing well, but far below his expectations for himself.
00:24:35But if one thing is for sure, during his time in Real Madrid, he would age like fine wine,
00:24:40because he arguably just got better year after year, with two main errors being clear in Real Madrid.
00:24:46The first being the takedown of this Guardiola side, and the second being the three-peat team,
00:24:51where he cemented himself as one of the greatest of all time.
00:24:54But for now, things would go from bad to worse, because that summer saw more misery in the World Cup,
00:24:58as Ronaldo would score just one goal against North Korea.
00:25:01Portugal would be eliminated by Spain in the round of 16, but that same summer,
00:25:06Spanish legend Raul would leave Real Madrid, leaving his shirt number vacant,
00:25:10meaning Ronaldo could finally pick the number 7 jersey, and CR7 was born again.
00:25:15And there was one more change in Real Madrid, as head coach Manuel Pellegrini was replaced by the special one,
00:25:21Jose Mourinho, who was fresh off the back of a treble where he defeated Barcelona on the way to the
00:25:26Champions League final,
00:25:27and now he came into Los Blancos with the sole goal of ending this Pep Guardiola dynasty,
00:25:32and with Ronaldo by his side, things were about to get very, very interesting.
00:25:36But very quickly, before we get to the Mourinho and Ronaldo era,
00:25:39I just really want to ask you to subscribe, and let me know which version of Cristiano Ronaldo you think
00:25:44is the best,
00:25:44because we're about to see some terrifying versions of this man, as Mourinho was about to turn him into a
00:25:50monster.
00:25:51But still, Ronaldo would get off to a slow start in the 2010-11 season under Mourinho, scoring just one
00:25:56in his first five La Liga games,
00:25:58but then he would hit a hot streak, scoring ten goals in four games, including four goals in a single
00:26:03game against Racing Santander,
00:26:04before a few games later scoring a hat-trick against Bilbao in what, at the time, was Real Madrid's best
00:26:10ever start to a league season.
00:26:11But Real's unbeaten start to the season would hit a giant snag, as they got humiliated 5-0 by Barcelona
00:26:18in the Camp Nou,
00:26:18in a game that saw Barcelona dominate so much with their famous tiki-taka style, that one of their goals
00:26:23would involve a 22-pass build-up,
00:26:26and that match would be one of four losses that season.
00:26:28Although Ronaldo didn't play in two of those games, but he did play in the Copa del Rey,
00:26:32where he reached his first final with Real Madrid, and they would face Barcelona as part of an unprecedented run
00:26:38of four Al Clasicos in just 18 days.
00:26:41This was so significant because these four Clasicos could have decided a treble as they were fighting it out in
00:26:47all three competitions.
00:26:48In the Cup, Ronaldo would be the victor, getting a header in extra time to win the match 1-0
00:26:53and win his first club trophy at Real Madrid.
00:26:56After the game, he would say,
00:26:57We are very happy. Madrid had not won this trophy in many years, but just a few days later, they
00:27:02would face Barcelona again,
00:27:03this time in the Champions League where Madrid would lose 2-0 at home, getting knocked out by Messi and
00:27:08Barcelona,
00:27:09who would eventually go on to lift the trophy.
00:27:11And to make matters even worse, Barcelona also went on to lift the La Liga title, meaning, yet again,
00:27:16Ronaldo was outshined by Lionel Messi, who went on to lift his third Ballon d'Or, making it 3-1
00:27:21to the little Argentine.
00:27:23But Cristiano Ronaldo did manage to finish top scorer in La Liga, being the first player to break the 40
00:27:28-goal barrier for the season.
00:27:29Now, as the 11-12 season rolled around next season, Ronaldo would really hit top form, starting the 2011-12
00:27:35La Liga season with a hat-trick against Real Zaragoza.
00:27:38But in the third game of the season against Levante, he went off at halftime with an injury,
00:27:42and this was the only match Madrid lost until December, when they again lost to none other than Barcelona.
00:27:48After that, Madrid went unbeaten for the rest of the season, and would face Barcelona again with five games left,
00:27:54where at the Camp Nou,
00:27:55Mourinho would finally neutralize Barcelona's tiki-taka football, and Ronaldo would score the winning goal to basically secure the title
00:28:01for Real Madrid,
00:28:02who finished with a record-breaking 100 points, finally winning La Liga for the first time in four years, with
00:28:07Ronaldo netting 46 goals in the league,
00:28:10including his 100th goal for Real Madrid, and this absolute rocket of a goal against Osasuna.
00:28:15He finished the season on an incredible 60 goals in all competitions, but somehow Messi, in perhaps his best ever
00:28:22season,
00:28:22even topped that, hitting 73 goals and, once again, winning the Ballon d'Or.
00:28:27At this time, the Ronaldo-Messi rivalry was beginning to really heat up, with fans around the world taking sides,
00:28:33but to Cristiano, that was all just noise.
00:28:36He had more work to do because a league title was great, but both him and Real Madrid were chasing
00:28:40down that Champions League title,
00:28:42but they would have to wait a little longer to get there.
00:28:44As for the summer, he would show how good he was for Portugal, scoring three goals at Euro 2012,
00:28:49and being named in the team of the tournament, as Portugal reached the semifinals but ultimately fell short.
00:28:54Yet another competition, Ronaldo was going to have to wait a little longer to win.
00:28:58Entering the 2012-13 season, Real Madrid looked like they fell apart from the previous year.
00:29:03Los Blancos only won one of their first four games, and something was clearly wrong, as Ronaldo didn't even celebrate
00:29:09when scoring twice in that win.
00:29:11And despite Ronaldo trying to get the season back on track with nine goals in five games,
00:29:15Real Madrid slumped as low as third for much of the season, and Ronaldo's relationship with Mourinho was becoming strained,
00:29:21with the head coach angry at CR7 for not doing enough defensively and saying he thinks he knows everything and
00:29:27the coach cannot help him develop further.
00:29:29And Ronaldo reportedly saying,
00:29:31After all I've done for you, this is how you treat me, as Real Madrid eventually finished with 85 points,
00:29:36far behind Barcelona.
00:29:37On a personal level, Ronaldo scored 55 goals in all competitions, including 12 Champions League goals, as Madrid again failed
00:29:45at the semifinal stage.
00:29:46But Ronaldo's leadership role at Los Blancos was starting to be recognized.
00:29:50As in a match against Real Sociedad, he became the first non-Spanish player in 60 years to captain Real
00:29:55Madrid.
00:29:56After this season of underperforming, Mourinho parted ways with Ronaldo at Los Blancos, but since leaving, has come out to
00:30:02talk about Ronaldo saying,
00:30:03Coaching him was the highlight of my career, he's the most professional player I've ever met, meaning love was definitely
00:30:09not lost between the two Portuguese stars.
00:30:11But as far as the managerial role, Mourinho would be replaced by Carlo Ancelotti, who was chosen by Madrid due
00:30:17to his record in the Champions League,
00:30:18because Madrid were obsessed with winning the famous trophy for the 10th time, with Ancelotti saying,
00:30:23As soon as I arrived, it was the only thing that people would talk about.
00:30:26Cristiano Ronaldo was also obsessed with this, he hadn't won it since 2008 with Man United, and his obsession with
00:30:32being the best player in the world hadn't gone anywhere.
00:30:35The issue was just that Messi kept sweeping up the Ballon d'Or, but even without winning the Champions League
00:30:40or the La Liga title in that previous season,
00:30:42Ronaldo's individual performances were so brilliant that it landed him his second Ballon d'Or for 2013.
00:30:47Now, when Carlo Ancelotti came in, he changed the way Ronaldo played, getting him to dribble less and pass less,
00:30:53and instead focus on creating close-range chances and scoring goals.
00:30:57And, at this time, Real Madrid would sign Gareth Bale from Tottenham Hotspur to create the legendary BBC of Bale,
00:31:03Benzema and Cristiano in an insanely attacking 3-4-3 formation.
00:31:08And Ronaldo started the 13-14 season strongly, scoring 17 goals in La Liga before the end of November,
00:31:14and then playing a crucial World Cup qualifier against Sweden, which was dubbed as Ronaldo vs Zlatan.
00:31:19With Zlatan Ibrahimović scoring both Sweden's goals, but Ronaldo scored once in the first leg,
00:31:24and then got a hat-trick in the second leg to secure Portugal's World Cup spot.
00:31:28Looking back to Spain, Real Madrid struggled in La Liga and ended up finishing third behind Barcelona,
00:31:34fed surprise champions Atletico Madrid, but Real would beat both those sides on the way to once again winning the
00:31:39Copa del Rey.
00:31:40In that season, Ronaldo would show up big time in the Champions League, scoring nine in the group stage,
00:31:45including a hat-trick against Galatasaray and four against Schalke in the last 16.
00:31:49He'd score again against Dortmund, then get two goals in a 4-0 thrashing of Bayern Munich to set up
00:31:55a final against local rivals Atletico Madrid.
00:31:58The first time a Champions League final has been played between two teams in the same city,
00:32:02but it looked like a game too far for Real, who were losing 1-0 until the last minute of
00:32:07the match,
00:32:08when Sergio Ramos scored to force extra time, where Real Madrid would score three more goals,
00:32:12with Ronaldo getting the final goal to seal the victory, finally giving Real Madrid La Decima,
00:32:17their much-desired 10th European Cup in their history, and making Ronaldo the first player to score in two finals
00:32:23for two different winning teams.
00:32:25And that season, he would finally smash Messi's goal total, with 51 goals to Messi's 41, giving him the European
00:32:31Golden Boot.
00:32:32And Ronaldo just carried that form into the next season with one of the hottest goal-scoring streaks of his
00:32:37career,
00:32:38at one point, scoring 13 goals in just five games and 25 La Liga goals by the end of December
00:32:44at his incredible form,
00:32:45won him his third Ballon d'Or and took Real Madrid to the top of La Liga after 25 games,
00:32:50but then losses to Bilbao and Barcelona saw them drop to second, but Ronaldo responded to that Barcelona defeat the
00:32:56only way he knows how,
00:32:58scoring five goals in a single game against Granada and scoring three hat-tricks in the final four games of
00:33:04the season to try and push Real Madrid over the line.
00:33:07But his 61 goals that season, including a crazy 48 in La Liga, weren't enough, as Real finished just two
00:33:14points behind Barcelona.
00:33:15After also falling short in the Champions League, Fiorentino Perez decided to call it quits on the Ancelotti project,
00:33:21especially after seeing the rise of MSN and Barcelona back on top of European football.
00:33:26Real Madrid tried their luck with Rafa Benitez in the 15-16 season, and they didn't have much of it,
00:33:31as they were disqualified from the Copa del Rey for unknowingly fielding an ineligible player, meaning Ronaldo couldn't add to
00:33:37his goal tally in that tournament.
00:33:39And Ronaldo had a bit of a slow start under Benitez, and despite once again scoring five goals in one
00:33:45game, this time against Espanyol,
00:33:46which actually made him Real's all-time top score, he hit nine blanks in other matches and even said he
00:33:51wanted to work with Ancelotti again.
00:33:53But by the end of December, Real had slumped to third in the league, and Benitez was sacked after he
00:33:58failed to beat a Valencia team led by the one and only Gary Neville.
00:34:02There were reports that Ronaldo was to blame for Benitez's sacking, but Benitez later said there were no problems with
00:34:07Ronaldo.
00:34:07Now, Real Madrid had a decision to make. The league looked like it might be out of reach, but there
00:34:12was still the Champions League to win,
00:34:14and their new manager had to come and hit the ground running.
00:34:17They decided to take a gamble on an unproven manager by a legend of the club in Zinedine Zidane.
00:34:22And with Ronaldo about to enter the form of his life, Real Madrid were about to enter the greatest era
00:34:27in modern-day football.
00:34:29Real Madrid began the Zidane era winning every La Liga game from the start of March till the end of
00:34:34the season, but finished second in the table.
00:34:36But we know Zizou is all about the Champions League, which is also where Ronaldo is at his best.
00:34:41And CR7 showed it by bagging hat-tricks against Shakhtar Donetsk and Wolfsburg and four goals against Malmo as Real
00:34:48Madrid marched to the final, where they again faced Atletico Madrid.
00:34:51And again, the game was tight, finishing 1-1, which meant the match went to penalties.
00:34:55And when Juan Fran missed for Atletico, there was only one man to step up and take the final spot
00:35:00kick, CR7, who scored to win the Champions League again for Los Blancos.
00:35:05And his goals in the Champions League that season made him the top Champions League goal scorer of all time.
00:35:11And that summer, things just got even better for Ronaldo, as he would captain his country Portugal at Euro 2016,
00:35:16and Portugal were seen as massive underdogs.
00:35:19And that underdog status was clear to see as they drew all of their first two group games against Iceland
00:35:24in Austria and against Hungary, Portugal were on the edge of elimination before two goals from Ronaldo brought the game
00:35:30back to 3-3, meaning Portugal squeezed into the last 16.
00:35:34And while head coach Fernando Santos' pragmatic approach might not have added many to Ronaldo's goal tally, it was effective
00:35:41in the knockout stages and it was a team effort, with Ronaldo playing his part not as a superstar, but
00:35:46as his country's captain.
00:35:47As Portugal scraped past Croatia in extra time, then beat Poland on penalties before winning 2-0 against Wales in
00:35:54the semifinals, with Ronaldo scoring Portugal's opener.
00:35:57But injury struck Cristiano Ronaldo in the final against France, and when that match went to extra time, Ronaldo was
00:36:03hobbling along the sidelines and acting more like the coach than the coach himself, shouting encouragement and tactical instructions to
00:36:09the players as they held on to beat France 1-0 and give Cristiano the national team trophy he craved.
00:36:15Making him such an undisputed hero that his home island of Madeira even named an airport after him.
00:36:21And his triumph with Portugal would see him later that year win the first FIFA the best award, as well
00:36:26as his fourth Ballon d'Or, drawing him one behind Lionel Messi.
00:36:30And Ronaldo's triumph with Portugal was followed up by one of his most successful seasons at Real Madrid, as the
00:36:35club won La Liga for the first time since 2012, with Ronaldo scoring 25 league goals.
00:36:40But Ronaldo's real calling was the Tuesday night lights of the Champions League, and in this season, he saved his
00:36:45Champions League goals for the absolute biggest of games.
00:36:49In the quarterfinals against Bayern Munich, Ronaldo scored twice in the first leg to give Madrid a 2-1 advantage
00:36:54and scored again in the second leg.
00:36:56But Munich forced the game into extra time.
00:36:59Ronaldo then scored twice again to complete his hat-trick and lead Madrid to a 4-2 victory.
00:37:03He then scored another hat-trick against Atletico Madrid in the semifinals, which was his seventh hat-trick in the
00:37:09Champions League.
00:37:10That led to a final against the rock-solid defensive Juventus, who dominated the start of the game.
00:37:15But then Ronaldo got the crucial first goal on 20 minutes and would later score Real Madrid's third goal of
00:37:20the game to seal the 4-1 victory and win his third Champions League with Real Madrid.
00:37:24And of course, it's these big game performances that led to him winning his fifth Ballon d'Or, giving him
00:37:29five apiece with Lionel Messi as the GOAT debate was reaching its peak with nothing to split the two.
00:37:35Now entering Ronaldo's ninth season in Real Madrid, the 2017-18 season saw Real Madrid struggle in La Liga, losing
00:37:43six games and finishing third in the league.
00:37:45And at this time, Ronaldo's relationship with the Real Madrid hierarchy was becoming strained, with Ronaldo feeling underappreciated, saying,
00:37:52I felt within the club that I was no longer considered in the same way as I was at the
00:37:57beginning.
00:37:57But yet again, Ronaldo proved he was unstoppable in the Champions League, scoring even more goals than the previous season.
00:38:04He got nine goals in the group stage alone before getting three more in the last 16 against PSG and
00:38:09three goals in the quarterfinals against Juventus, including this spectacular bicycle kick.
00:38:14Madrid then beat Bayern in the semis and Liverpool in the final to give Ronaldo his fourth Champions League with
00:38:20Real Madrid at his fifth of his career,
00:38:22which, at this point in time, meant he was the only player in history with five Champions League winners' medals.
00:38:26But despite his huge trophy haul, Ronaldo didn't feel like Real Madrid, and especially club president Florentino Perez,
00:38:33appreciated him in the same way that Barcelona appreciated Messi or PSG appreciated Neymar,
00:38:38and he didn't receive enough support from the club over a tax dispute with the Spanish government that had caused
00:38:43him a lot of stress.
00:38:44He even told his agent that he regretted not leaving the previous summer, so Real Madrid said if a club
00:38:49offers 100 million euros, then he could leave.
00:38:52And while other huge clubs were interested, Juventus were the ones to make that offer,
00:38:56and Ronaldo was seduced by the idea of living in Italy and making history there, saying,
00:39:01Juve have reached two finals with me, they can win the Champions League.
00:39:04And with Zinedine Zaydan also leaving, Ronaldo thought this was one of the little details that confirmed to me when
00:39:10I had been thinking about the situation at the club.
00:39:12Ronaldo also wanted to leave Madrid on a high, near the peak of his abilities, so that he would be
00:39:17remembered as a legend.
00:39:19So, just like that, his nine years in Real Madrid came to an end.
00:39:2233 years old, still performing at the highest level as in the summer, he scored a World Cup hat-trick
00:39:27for Portugal,
00:39:28making him the oldest player ever to do so.
00:39:31But with his Real Madrid legacy coming to an end,
00:39:33it's safe to say he's the greatest player in the history of that football club,
00:39:37and arguably the greatest football player of all time.
00:39:40How is it possible that at 33 years old, Cristiano Ronaldo moved to a brand new league,
00:39:45and despite being told he was too old, he still outscored everyone?
00:39:49And then, how is it possible that at 37 years old, Ronaldo returned to the hardest league in the world,
00:39:54and despite going through the worst trauma of his entire life,
00:39:57he was still one of the deadliest players in all of England,
00:40:00and now, how is it possible that at more than 40, dream of?
00:40:03This is the third part of the story of Cristiano Ronaldo, and arguably the most insane,
00:40:09as, despite his growing age, increasing doubters, and serious personal struggles,
00:40:14he has still outplayed everyone.
00:40:16And this all began on the 10th of July 2018,
00:40:18as a 33-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo made a 100-million-year-old move to Juventus
00:40:24at what they described as the deal of the century.
00:40:26But, despite the optimism, on paper, this was a massive risk.
00:40:31Yes, Ronaldo was off the back of a world-class Champions League-winning season with Real Madrid,
00:40:36but how many players can really go on past 33 and still dominate football?
00:40:41At the time, he was the fourth most expensive signing in football history,
00:40:44as only Neymar, Kylian Mbappe, and Felipe Coutinho had moved for bigger fees.
00:40:49And, unsurprisingly, the footballing world was skeptical.
00:40:52Ronaldo might have scored 44 goals in his final season at Real Madrid,
00:40:57but people were already calling him washed up.
00:40:59But Juventus knew better.
00:41:01They had found out that Madrid would accept a bid of roughly $100 million for Ronaldo,
00:41:05so Juventus president André Agnelli went all out to bring CR7 to Italy,
00:41:10even flying to Greece to meet Ronaldo on holiday.
00:41:13Ronaldo, on the other hand, was ready to leave Real Madrid, saying,
00:41:17I was no longer considered in the same way as I was at the beginning,
00:41:20having felt a loss of love from the club's cell.
00:41:22It was a perfect move for all parties.
00:41:25Juventus had been dominating Italy for years, but their squad was aging,
00:41:29and they desperately wanted to get their hands on a Champions League trophy,
00:41:32and that's why they saw Ronaldo as the perfect fit.
00:41:35As soon as Ronaldo's signing was confirmed, Juve's stock price went through the roof,
00:41:39climbing 33%.
00:41:41The club gained 10 million followers on social media platforms,
00:41:44and it more than doubled its shirt sponsorship deal.
00:41:47But despite the obvious brand value he brought, football is judged by what happens on the pitch.
00:41:52And the question remained, could a 33-year-old striker really move to a new league and dominate in the
00:41:57same way he used to?
00:41:58And quickly, the doubters would be given a reason to doubt some more.
00:42:01Because Ronaldo didn't get off to the best of starts, because in his first three games,
00:42:06he didn't score a single goal, as Massimiliano Allegri kept switching Ronaldo's positions between a sole number nine and a
00:42:13left winger,
00:42:14and even as part of a front two, as he tried to incorporate both Ronaldo and Mario Maggiukic in his
00:42:19side.
00:42:19But, finally, Ronaldo scored in his fourth game, tapping in a corner against Sassuolo in the 50th minute,
00:42:25before grabbing a second goal on the 65th minute, as Juventus won their opening four Serie A games.
00:42:31But those two goals would quickly be forgotten, as things got even worse for Cristiano,
00:42:36as he kicked off his Champions League campaign with a straight red card after just 29 minutes against Valencia.
00:42:42Ronaldo left the pitch in tears, as he insisted he had done nothing wrong,
00:42:46but now the pressure was really starting to build for CR7, as expectations placed on him were just so high.
00:42:53But, despite Ronaldo's slow start, Juventus won their first eight matches in Serie A,
00:42:58with Ronaldo scoring four and getting three assists.
00:43:01And, in the Champions League, after serving a one-match ban,
00:43:04Ronaldo faced back-to-back games against his former club Manchester United,
00:43:08and in the second of those games, he got his first Champions League goal for Juventus,
00:43:12which was an absolutely insane volley.
00:43:15And, back in Serie A, Juventus and Ronaldo went on a spectacular run,
00:43:20winning eight more games in a row, with CR7 bagging six goals,
00:43:24before finishing 2018 with a draw against Atalanta,
00:43:27and a win over Sampdoria, with Ronaldo scoring 14 and getting five assists in the first half of the campaign.
00:43:34And, just a few days later, Cristiano Ronaldo would win his first trophy for Juventus,
00:43:38as the club traveled to Saudi Arabia to play AC Milan in the Supercopa Italiana,
00:43:43with Ronaldo scoring the only goal of the game in Jena, as Juventus won 1-0.
00:43:48And, back in the Serie A, Juventus continued their unbeaten run, winning six of the next seven games,
00:43:54with Ronaldo scoring five goals in that time, as the old lady just dominated the Serie A.
00:43:59But, come February, all focus was on the Champions League,
00:44:02because the world was about to witness one of the most dramatic games in Champions League history.
00:44:08Juve faced Atletico Madrid in the last 16, and suffered a disastrous 2-0 defeat at the Metropolitano,
00:44:15all but ending their Champions League hopes.
00:44:17If this was any other team with any other player, Atleti were going through.
00:44:22But, Diego Simeone made one fatal error by mocking Cristiano after the game,
00:44:27and, come the return fixture, Cristiano was not messing around.
00:44:31His towering header pulled one goal back for Juve on 27 minutes,
00:44:35and then he scored another header to level the game just after halftime.
00:44:39And, with extra time looming, Federico Bernardeschi was brought down in the penalty area,
00:44:43and Ronaldo completed his hat-trick from the penalty spot to give Juventus a 3-2 aggregate win
00:44:48with his first hat-trick for the Bianconeri,
00:44:51as, of course, Mr. Champions League himself showed up when it really mattered.
00:44:56But, just as he was hitting unstoppable momentum,
00:44:58a hamstring injury took him out for six Serie A games,
00:45:01which saw Juventus lose their first two league matches of the season,
00:45:05and his first game back was a Champions League quarterfinal against Ajax.
00:45:09Ronaldo scored again as Juventus drew the first leg one-all,
00:45:12and he gave Juventus the lead in the second leg with his fifth goal in the past three knockout games.
00:45:16But, in a shock result, Ajax scored twice, and Juventus were eliminated.
00:45:21And, from then on, Juve would only win one more game all season.
00:45:25But, due to their incredible form in the start of the season,
00:45:28Juventus won the league easily, finishing the season on 90 points,
00:45:3211 points clear of second-place Napoli to give Ronaldo his first Scudetto,
00:45:36making him a league champion in Spain, England, and Italy,
00:45:39and, of course, Cristiano Ronaldo was named the league MVP,
00:45:43as the then 34-year-old had just conquered Italian football on his first attempt.
00:45:48But, Ronaldo wasn't done for the summer,
00:45:50as Portugal had reached the finals of the first-ever UEFA Nations League,
00:45:54and in the semi-final against Switzerland in Porto,
00:45:56Ronaldo opened the scoring, but Switzerland leveled through a penalty,
00:46:00before Ronaldo scored two late goals to complete another international hat-trick,
00:46:04and take Portugal to the final against the Netherlands,
00:46:07which, of course, they won 1-0 to give Ronaldo another international trophy.
00:46:12Not too bad for a 34-year-old, but, as you know, he was only going to get even better
00:46:17in Italy.
00:46:18Because, once again, heading into the 19-20 season,
00:46:21Juventus started the league on fire, going unbeaten in their first 14 games,
00:46:26with Ronaldo scoring six in the 11 games that he played.
00:46:28And in the Champions League, the old lady cruised to the top of Group D,
00:46:32winning five and drawing one of their games.
00:46:34But, after missing a game against Atalanta in November,
00:46:37Ronaldo burst into life, going on his best goal-scoring run in Serie A so far.
00:46:42In the 10 Serie A games from December to early February,
00:46:45Ronaldo scored 15 goals, including his first Serie A hat-trick against Cagliari,
00:46:50and this incredible header against Sampdoria,
00:46:53when Ronaldo leapt higher than the crossbar,
00:46:55defying gravity to head the ball from a height of 2.56 meters,
00:46:59proving that even at the age of 34, he is still capable of superhuman feats.
00:47:04And, after being absent for one game,
00:47:07Ronaldo would score against Spal to equal the Serie A record of scoring in 11 consecutive games.
00:47:12But, just as it seemed nothing could stop Ronaldo,
00:47:15life was about to get very difficult for him.
00:47:18A virus in Wuhan brought the world to a standstill.
00:47:22Football stopped for three months,
00:47:23and Juventus was one of the first teams to impose self-isolation on its players.
00:47:28And, to make matters a lot worse,
00:47:30Ronaldo's mother had a mild stroke,
00:47:32so he traveled to his home island of Madeira and quarantined there.
00:47:36Thankfully, she recovered and returned to health.
00:47:39As for Cristiano,
00:47:40the only thing that is more important than football is his family.
00:47:44And that's why what happened in a few years' time nearly broke him as a man.
00:47:48But, for now, football restarted with the second leg of the Coppa Italia semifinal,
00:47:53which was a goalless draw in front of empty stands,
00:47:56with Ronaldo missing a penalty kick.
00:47:58But, his goal in the first leg was enough for Juventus to go through to the final on the away
00:48:02goals rule.
00:48:03And, that final against Napoli, a few days later,
00:48:05was another goalless draw in an empty stadium.
00:48:08But, Napoli won the penalty shootout 4-2 before Ronaldo even had a chance to score from the spot,
00:48:14proving for heartbreak in Turin.
00:48:16The Serie A restarted the following week and, angrier than ever,
00:48:20Ronaldo continued where he left off with seven goals in six games
00:48:23and became the highest-scoring Portuguese player in the history of Serie A.
00:48:28And then, two games later, his brace against Lazio meant he had now scored 50 goals for Juventus,
00:48:33becoming only the second player to have scored 50-plus goals in three of Europe's top five leagues.
00:48:38But Juventus once again ended the season poorly,
00:48:40limping over the line with just two wins in their final eight matches.
00:48:44And, despite wrapping up the title with two games to go,
00:48:47the Bianconeri only finished the season with 83 points, just one ahead of Inter Milan.
00:48:51And, that poor form had come at the worst time,
00:48:54as the Champions League resumed with the round of 16 immediately after the end of the season,
00:48:59with Juve chasing a one-goal deficit from the first leg against Lyon.
00:49:03And, even though Ronaldo scored twice, including this wonder strike,
00:49:06Memphis Depay also scored to put Lyon through on away goals.
00:49:10And, yet again, Juve crashed out of the Champions League with no signs of getting close to lifting it.
00:49:15But, those two goals from Ronaldo meant he broke Juventus' scoring record for a single season with 37 goals in
00:49:22all competitions.
00:49:23It was clear that, as much as he was performing, the team around him was declining,
00:49:28and this would only prove more true heading into his third season in Italy.
00:49:31Maurizio Sarri was sacked over the summer, and Ronaldo would have his third Juventus head coach in three seasons, Andrea
00:49:38Pirlo.
00:49:38And, despite having no preseason, Pirlo got off to a perfect start,
00:49:42winning 3-0 at Sampdoria, with Ronaldo scoring the third.
00:49:46And, after that, he got both goals in a two-all draw against Roma.
00:49:49But, then Cristiano Ronaldo was knocked off his feet as he caught COVID-19,
00:49:54testing positive while on international duty,
00:49:56and missing two Serie A and two Champions League games.
00:49:59And, by the time he returned, Juventus were only fifth in the league.
00:50:03But, Cristiano was performing at a level never seen in Italy from him,
00:50:06with eight goals in the five matches he played.
00:50:09But, Juventus were just struggling to convert draws into wins,
00:50:13especially in the games that Ronaldo missed.
00:50:15And, when they lost 3-0 to Fiorentina in December,
00:50:18Juventus fell to sixth in the Serie A at the end of the year.
00:50:21But, in the Champions League group stage, the return of Ronaldo was key,
00:50:24as he led Juventus to four victories, including a 3-0 win over Barcelona,
00:50:29with CR7 begging two of the goals to help Juventus win their group.
00:50:33Meanwhile, in the Coppa Italia, Juventus blasted through the early rounds
00:50:37to set up a semi-final against Inter Milan in February,
00:50:40where Ronaldo grabbed Juventus' two goals in the first leg
00:50:43to see them win 2-1 on aggregate.
00:50:45But, for once, Ronaldo's goals dried up a bit during the winter.
00:50:48And, in an extremely tight Serie A table, Juventus lost games to rivals
00:50:53Inter Milan and Napoli, so were unable to break into the top two spots in the league.
00:50:59And, in the Champions League, Juventus lost on away goals to Porto in the round of 16,
00:51:03and once again failed to progress far through the knockout stages of the competition,
00:51:08proving for the worst Champions League run CR7 has had in years.
00:51:11But, back to the Serie A.
00:51:13Ronaldo had rediscovered his shooting boots,
00:51:15scoring seven in five games in February and March,
00:51:19including a hat-trick against Cagliari.
00:51:21But, Juventus as a whole continued to splutter,
00:51:23and in early May, a 3-0 loss to AC Milan
00:51:26saw them drop back down to fifth with three games to go.
00:51:30But, Ronaldo scored in the next game against Sassuolo
00:51:32to help Juve win 3-1,
00:51:34and that was his 100th goal for Juventus,
00:51:37making him the fastest Juventus player to reach a century of goals.
00:51:40He would score again in the next game against top-of-the-table Inter Milan
00:51:44to give the Bianconeri a vital win going into the final game of the season.
00:51:48But before that, Juventus had the Coppa Italia final against Atalanta,
00:51:52where Ronaldo gave everything to help Juve win 2-1 and lift the cup,
00:51:56meaning that Ronaldo had won every major trophy in Spain, England, and Italy.
00:52:01But Juventus were still in fifth place going into the final game of the season against Bologna.
00:52:05And, in this must-win game, Ronaldo was left on the substitutes' bench
00:52:09for what Pirlo claimed was a technical reason,
00:52:12saying that Ronaldo had sacrificed himself to win the cup,
00:52:15and without Ronaldo, Juve won comfortably against mid-table Bologna,
00:52:19and finished fourth, just a point behind second, but 13 points off the title.
00:52:24This season also proved record-breaking for Cristiano,
00:52:27as he finally added the Italian golden boot to his trophy cabinet,
00:52:30finishing the Serie A season with 29 goals, five more than Inter's Romelu Lukaku,
00:52:35making him the first player to be top goal scorer in Italy, Spain, and England.
00:52:39And remember, he's 36 years old at this point.
00:52:42But now, speculation was starting to build that Ronaldo would leave Juventus
00:52:46before the start of the season, and this ran all through the summer,
00:52:49but the same summer saw Ronaldo head off to the Euros,
00:52:52where Portugal, unfortunately, couldn't retain their title,
00:52:55with a first knockout-round exit to Belgium.
00:52:57The rest of the summer was dominated by rumors that Pep Guardiola's Manchester City
00:53:02and Ronaldo reached a verbal agreement to join them,
00:53:04but in one of the most shocking transfer stories of all time,
00:53:08Cristiano Ronaldo received a call from Sir Alex Ferguson,
00:53:11and within 48 hours, had officially signed as a Manchester United player yet again.
00:53:16After three years in Juventus, where he scored more goals than any other player in that same time span,
00:53:21the stage was set for a return to the Premier League,
00:53:25the league known as the hardest in the world,
00:53:27and of course, the doubters were back in full force,
00:53:30saying he wouldn't be able to hold his own at such an old age.
00:53:34His arrival, signs of unrest could have been seen in the dressing room,
00:53:37as Edinson Cavani gave up his No. 7 shirt for Cristiano.
00:53:41This transfer was completed in August,
00:53:43which meant that Ronaldo had no preseason,
00:53:45and had already missed the first three games of United's Premier League campaign.
00:53:49But Ronaldo made his debut in the fourth match of the season against Newcastle,
00:53:52where he got off to a dream start, scoring the opening goal of the game by tapping home a rebound,
00:53:58then later getting on the end of a Luke Shaw through ball to double his tally,
00:54:02as United rocked to a 4-1 win,
00:54:04and Manchester United fans entered Twainland.
00:54:07A team of Pogba, Bruno, Sancho, Rashford,
00:54:10and now Ronaldo was sure to bring them back to the glory days, right?
00:54:14A few days later, Cristiano was back in Champions League action,
00:54:18scoring the opening goal against young boys,
00:54:20who shocked United by scoring the last-minute winner.
00:54:23But Ronaldo would keep his strong start to the season by scoring against West Ham the next weekend.
00:54:28Then, he finished the month with a last-minute winner of his own,
00:54:31playing against Villarreal in the Champions League.
00:54:34In the Champions League, Ronaldo kept doing his stuff,
00:54:36scoring six goals in five group stage games,
00:54:39including a double against Atalanta,
00:54:41to ensure Manchester United finished top of Group F.
00:54:44But the Premier League was a different matter,
00:54:46as key injuries against Aston Villa weakened the team's defense,
00:54:50and in that match, United would get a last-minute penalty.
00:54:53But instead of penalty king Ronaldo taking it,
00:54:56Bruno Fernandes took the spot kick instead,
00:54:58but Fernandes smashed the ball over the bar,
00:55:01meaning United lost,
00:55:02and then went on a run of four defeats in five games,
00:55:06the only win coming against Tottenham Hotspur,
00:55:08where Ronaldo got a goal and an assist in that game.
00:55:11The pressure was now mounting on Solskjaer,
00:55:13who was the Man United manager,
00:55:15until he eventually got the sack,
00:55:16with Michael Carrick coming in to replace it for two tough games against Chelsea and Arsenal,
00:55:21where Ronaldo scored twice,
00:55:22including the 800th goal of his career,
00:55:24to give United a 3-2 win.
00:55:27But then, United brought in German manager Ralf Ragnick,
00:55:30and despite scoring against Norwich and Burnley,
00:55:32Ronaldo had a rare goalless spell,
00:55:34failing to score against Wolves, Brentford, West Ham,
00:55:37Burnley, and Southampton,
00:55:38in his longest goal drought in more than a decade.
00:55:41Ronaldo even missed a penalty against Middlesbrough in the FA Cup,
00:55:45and was dropped to the bench against Burnley.
00:55:47And by this stage,
00:55:48his critics were starting to write articles claiming,
00:55:50he's too old and needs to hang up his boots.
00:55:53On February 15th, against Brighton,
00:55:55he failed to score in the first 10 minutes,
00:55:58making the Baron run his worst goal drought since his move to Real Madrid,
00:56:02going 546 minutes without scoring.
00:56:04But finally, in the 51st minute of that game,
00:56:08Ronaldo's strike from the edge of the box
00:56:09hit the back of the net to register his first goal of 2022.
00:56:14And a month later,
00:56:15Ronaldo was right back on form as he bagged a hat-trick against Tottenham,
00:56:19including this phenomenal strike,
00:56:21before scoring another hat-trick in April against Norwich,
00:56:24as he was firing on all fronts for United.
00:56:27But this is when tragedy struck for Cristiano.
00:56:30You see,
00:56:31Ronaldo and his partner,
00:56:32Georgina Rodriguez,
00:56:33had been expecting twins,
00:56:35but when it came to the birth,
00:56:36only one twin survived,
00:56:38with the other,
00:56:39sadly,
00:56:40not making it out alive.
00:56:41This was, without a doubt,
00:56:43the toughest moment in Ronaldo's life,
00:56:45as no parent should ever suffer the loss of a child.
00:56:48Ronaldo said only the birth of his twin sister
00:56:51gave him the strength to live after the death of his baby boy.
00:56:54Obviously,
00:56:55this affected him a lot mentally,
00:56:57and as he returned to football,
00:56:59it was clear he was suffering.
00:57:01Tributes from the world poured in,
00:57:03like rival Liverpool fans offering a standing ovation
00:57:06in the seventh minute of their next match,
00:57:08showing in times like this,
00:57:09rivalry doesn't exist.
00:57:11Back in the Premier League,
00:57:13Ronaldo scored three goals in the final few games of the season
00:57:16to finish the season on 24 goals in total,
00:57:18with 18 in the league,
00:57:20making him the third-highest scorer that season
00:57:22after Mo Salah and Sung Hyun-min.
00:57:23He was also named in the PFA Premier League team of the season
00:57:26at 37 years old,
00:57:28while suffering one of the worst heartbreaks of his career,
00:57:31meaning,
00:57:31yet again,
00:57:32Cristiano Ronaldo proved everyone wrong.
00:57:35But as despite the individual performances,
00:57:38Manchester United only managed to finish sixth
00:57:41in what was the club's worst season since 1990,
00:57:44and they didn't win a trophy,
00:57:45making it the first season Cristiano Ronaldo has gone trophy-less since 2010.
00:57:49And this is when Manchester United appointed Eric Ten Hag as head coach,
00:57:53who,
00:57:54let's just say,
00:57:55was going to have a few problems with Cristiano.
00:57:58It started in pre-season,
00:57:59as Ronaldo did not turn up for the pre-season tour,
00:58:02as reports were coming out that he pushed for a transfer to leave the club that summer,
00:58:06saying the club lacked ambition.
00:58:08But nevertheless,
00:58:09he remained a red for the next season,
00:58:11where Ten Hag became the first Manchester United manager in 100 years
00:58:15to lose both of his first two league games,
00:58:17including a 4-0 loss to Brentford,
00:58:20which was the only game that Cristiano Ronaldo started in the league until November,
00:58:24as Ten Hag relegated the team's top score from the year before to the substitutes bench.
00:58:28Ronaldo could only get a chance to start in the Europa League games,
00:58:32where he scored twice and got two assists as United cruised through Group E.
00:58:35But in the league,
00:58:36Ronaldo didn't get to play a single minute of the Manchester Derby,
00:58:40where Ten Hag's side were humiliated 6-3 by Manchester City.
00:58:44When Anthony Martial got injured against Everton,
00:58:47the Dutch head coach was forced to play Ronaldo,
00:58:49who,
00:58:50of course,
00:58:50scored the winning goal,
00:58:52just to find himself on the bench again for the game against Spurs.
00:58:55And when he refused to come on as a late substitute,
00:58:58Ten Hag suspended him for one match,
00:59:00and he only got to play in two more games after that,
00:59:03before the Premier League took an extended break for the Qatar World Cup.
00:59:06But by this point,
00:59:07Ronaldo had had enough,
00:59:09and before heading to Qatar,
00:59:10he did an interview with Piers Morgan,
00:59:12where he said Manchester United hadn't evolved at all since Ferguson left,
00:59:16and that the club couldn't be compared to Real Madrid or Juventus,
00:59:18and he also said Ten Hag had shown him no respect,
00:59:21calling out the manager and basically killing any future he had at Old Trafford.
00:59:25United were fuming after this interview and terminated his contract,
00:59:29ending his long association with the club.
00:59:32In hindsight,
00:59:33Cristiano Ronaldo appears to have been proven right about his comments about Manchester United,
00:59:37as Eric Ten Hag eventually got the sack,
00:59:39and United sit in their worst position they have been in decades,
00:59:43but still,
00:59:44it was clear Ronaldo had to go.
00:59:45But that winter of 2022 was about to get worse for Ronaldo,
00:59:49as he captained Portugal at the Qatar World Cup,
00:59:52which could have been his last ever chance at World Cup glory.
00:59:55It started well enough,
00:59:57with Ronaldo becoming the first player to score at five different World Cups,
01:00:00when he scored a penalty in Portugal's opening match win against Ghana.
01:00:04But when he appeared to sulk over his substitution against South Korea,
01:00:08and head coach Fernando Santos dropped Ronaldo for the round of 16 game against Switzerland,
01:00:12and as Portugal cruised to a 6-1 victory,
01:00:15Ronaldo was kept on the bench for the quarterfinal against Morocco,
01:00:18only coming on when Portugal were already losing 1-0.
01:00:22But he just did not have enough time to make an impact,
01:00:25so Portugal were eliminated from the World Cup,
01:00:28and Ronaldo's club and international future looked uncertain
01:00:31in what was easily the toughest point in his entire career.
01:00:35Cristiano returned from the World Cup clubless,
01:00:38And this is when he was handed an offer that he simply could not refuse,
01:00:41as Saudi side Al Nasser offered to make the 37-year-old the best-paid footballer in the world,
01:00:47and start a footballing revolution in the Middle East.
01:00:50Just the annual salary at Al Nasser was 200 million euros a year,
01:00:54not to mention the commercial packages layered on top.
01:00:57At the time, Saudi Arabia was not known as one of the top football destinations,
01:01:01and the country's strategy was that other big-name players would come there,
01:01:05because they wanted to play in the same league as Ronaldo.
01:01:07Once Cristiano put pen to paper, the footballing world thought this was just a retirement contract,
01:01:12he was going to fade out of scoring goals and fade out of the national team.
01:01:16But the opposite was going to happen,
01:01:18as it wouldn't be long before Cristiano Ronaldo was yet again the top scorer in the entire world.
01:01:23He made his name as Saudi Arabia's Ronaldo gamble paid off,
01:01:26and big names followed him to the Middle East.
01:01:29But none of those superstars could keep up with Ronaldo.
01:01:32Ronaldo scored 20 league goals for Al Nasser,
01:01:33and when goals for club and country are combined,
01:01:36he had 54 goals for the calendar year,
01:01:39making him the top scorer in world football in 2023,
01:01:42outscoring Kylian Mbappe, Harry Kane, and Erling Haaland,
01:01:45meaning that at 38 years old,
01:01:47Ronaldo had become the world's top scorer for the fifth time in his career.
01:01:51But while he kept scoring in 2024,
01:01:54including hat-tricks against Al-Tai, Abha, and Al-Qaeda,
01:01:57it wasn't enough for Al Nasser to keep up with superstars of Al-Hilal.
01:02:01So, Ronaldo missed out on the Saudi Pro League title,
01:02:03and also lost out to Al-Hilal in the Kings Cup,
01:02:06losing on penalties in the final.
01:02:08But Ronaldo did win the golden boot,
01:02:10and not just win it,
01:02:11he won it by a mile,
01:02:13with 35 goals,
01:02:14seven more than closest rival Alexander Mitrovic,
01:02:16showing that,
01:02:17even though the other superstars who came to Saudi Arabia thought it would be easy,
01:02:21none of them could get close to Ronaldo.
01:02:23But with Saudi Arabia attracting more and more top players,
01:02:27repeating that feat would be hard,
01:02:28especially as Al Nasser were struggling to compete with Al-Hilal and Al-Idihad,
01:02:32but Ronaldo started the season strongly with six goals in his first seven games,
01:02:36as Al Nasser went ten games unbeaten.
01:02:39And at this time,
01:02:40he scored his 441st goal of his 30s,
01:02:42meaning Ronaldo had actually scored more goals in his 30s than in his 20s.
01:02:47In fact,
01:02:48he scored more in his 30s than Wayne Rooney,
01:02:50the second-highest Premier League goal scorer of all time,
01:02:53had scored in his entire career.
01:02:55And after this,
01:02:56Ronaldo just kept scoring.
01:02:58In one spell midway through the season,
01:03:00he hit ten goals in nine games,
01:03:02but Al-Nasser ended the season poorly with three wins in their final seven games,
01:03:06and finished 13 points behind champions Al-Idihad.
01:03:09But, yet again, Ronaldo was the league's top scorer with 25 goals,
01:03:13two ahead of England international Ivan Toney.
01:03:15Looking back to the Portugal national team,
01:03:18many thought that moving to the Saudi league would put an end to his top-level performances,
01:03:22but that couldn't have been further from the truth,
01:03:24as Ronaldo was still going strong for Portugal,
01:03:27who had reached the Nations League finals,
01:03:29where Ronaldo scored in the quarterfinal against Denmark,
01:03:31and the winning goal in the semifinal against Germany to set up a final against Spain.
01:03:36And, while Ronaldo scored in the final two,
01:03:38he picked up an injury,
01:03:40so he couldn't take part in the penalty shootout.
01:03:42But, Portugal eventually overcame Spain on penalties,
01:03:45to win the Nations League for a second time,
01:03:47as this proved a significant victory of Jamal Spain,
01:03:50proving the future of football has not quite taken over from the king.
01:03:54Now, at 40 years old,
01:03:55Ronaldo has signed a new two-year contract with Al-Nasser,
01:03:58somehow making him even more money than the last one,
01:04:01with an even percent ownership in the club itself.
01:04:03And, now the only thing in Cristiano's mind is the summer of 2026,
01:04:07as he looks to play what is definitely going to be the last World Cup of his entire career.
01:04:12One last shot to make his dream come true.
01:04:16Cristiano Ronaldo,
01:04:17good luck.
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