Turns 40 years old this Tuesday
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This Tuesday, February 5 marks a special day for a very special player. The legendary Cristiano Ronaldo has just turned 40 years of age, and there is still little sign of the Portuguese goalscorer hanging up his boots anytime soon. Now with Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr, Ronaldo has 15 league goals in 17 games this season, albeit in a league at a much poorer standard than those he was playing in during his prime. There’s not much he hasn’t achieved during his illustrious career, from lifting the Champions League five times, to winning five Ballon d’ors, to captaining his native Portugal to Euro 2016 glory. His elite work mentality has extracted every possible drip out of his game and allowed Ronaldo to compete at the very top level across three decades.
Among Ronaldo’s greatest achievements is being the all-time top Champions League goalscorer, as illustrated above. Earlier this week in an interview with Spanish broadcaster El Chiringuito, Ronaldo said, “I believe I’m the most complete player ever. In my opinion, it’s me. I excel in every aspect: heading, free kicks, left foot, right foot. I’m fast, I’m strong.” Whether you agree with his statement or not, there’s little doubt Ronaldo will go down as one of the greatest players the game has ever seen, and his numbers and longevity has to be respected. From coming through the youth academy at Sporting, to developing under Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United, to becoming one of the all-time greats at Real Madrid, to the twilight of his career, it’s been some journey. Here at Transfermarkt, on his 40th birthday, we assess each five year period of his club career – looking at his impact, his stats, his market value and more.
Cristiano Ronaldo at 20 – a raw gem divides opinion in the Premier League
At 20 years of age, Ronaldo was a budding talent making his way in one of the best teams of all-time at Man United. With a market value of €18m, at this stage of his career he had already played 105 first-team club games (31 at Sporting and at 74 at Man United). After coming through at Portuguese side Sporting, he signed for the Red Devils aged 18 for a fee of €19m. Gonçalo Tristão Santos is Transfermarkt’s Content Manager in Portugal, and describes young Ronaldo’s impact in Liga Portugal: “When Ronaldo played for Sporting, we already realised that we were witnessing a special player. In fact, he played only one season in Sporting’s first team precisely because of that—he was simply too good for our league. However, it was hard to imagine that he would become one of the greatest players in football history.”
The Ronaldo of early years was less about the mind-boggling numbers he would go on to produce later in his career, but more about the skill and flair on show. At the age of 20, Ronaldo had just 16 goals and 20 assists from his 105 club matches. That’s a rate of just 0.34 goal contributions a game – alien to what he would later produce. This was also partly down to a lot of his early appearances coming from the bench. Between the ages of 20 and 25 years old, Ronaldo would soon go on to establish himself as one of, if not the best player in the Premier League. Becoming more clinical, better in the air, and demanding more and more from himself. He won three Premier League titles with United, as well as the Champions League in 2008, in which he scored in the final against Chelsea. He would also win his first Ballon d’Or in 2008, before signing for Real Madrid in 2009, aged 24, for €94m. Between the ages of 20 and 25, Ronaldo provided 169 goal contributions, but at the Bernabéu he would really assert himself as one of the very best.
Cristiano Ronaldo at 25 – becoming a prolific superstar at Real Madrid
“Cristiano’s presentation at the Santiago Bernabéu brought together more than 80,000 fans thanks to the tremendous excitement generated by the arrival of the next ‘galáctico’ to the Madrid temple.” explained Transfermarkt’s Spain Area Manager Iván Turmo. He lived up to the hype straight away in Spain, scoring 33 goals in his first season, before taking his numbers to an even greater level. At 25 years of age, Ronaldo had a market value of €70m, and had now already amassed 339 club games, 138 goals and 67 assists in club football. In the next five years, between the ages of 25 and 30, he would provide a further another 357 goal contributions, and win another two Ballon d’Or’s, another Champions League and one LaLiga title. In the 2011/12 season, aged 26, he would scored 46 LaLiga goals in one season. Ronaldo had became one of the most prolific goalscorers in the history of the game, and would carry this into his 30s.
Cristiano Ronaldo at 30 – the peak of his powers
“The Portuguese star far exceeded expectations as he ended up becoming Real Madrid’s all-time top scorer.” added Turmo. “His importance was also key off the pitch because he boosted the Real Madrid brand with the boom in shirt sales and image rights, as well as promoting the global image of the club from the capital.” At 30 years of age, Ronaldo could now lay claim to a career-high market value of €120m, and had already played 600 games, and had scored 411 goals and provided 151 assists. Yet more industrious numbers actually still came in the next five year period – between 30 and 35 years old Ronaldo contributed another 271 club goal contributions. In 2018, aged 33 he moved from Madrid to Juventus and continued his incredible goalscoring in Italy.
Cristiano Ronaldo at 35 – still producing at Juventus
“When Juventus signed Ronaldo in 2018, it created an enormous global buzz, with fans and media eagerly anticipating a new era of dominance for the club.” revealed Transfermarkt’s Area Manager in Italy Jatin Dietl. “On the field, Ronaldo delivered, scoring over 100 goals and securing two Serie A titles. But the high costs of his transfer and wages placed a financial burden on the club. His presence couldn’t lift the team to European glory, ultimately leading to his departure after three seasons.” At the age of 35, Ronaldo’s market value still stood at no less than €60m, and his career numbers had now dwarfed the majority of those who had come before him. Ronaldo had played 831 club games. He had scored 623 goals in those matches and provided a further 210 assists. The now legend of the game re-signed for Man United in 2021, aged 36, and scored another 27 goals for the club, before a slightly bitter ending saw the Portuguese star move on to Saudi Arabia – where he is still scoring today.
Cristiano Ronaldo at 40 – no signs of stopping
Now at 40 years of age, Ronaldo’s story is still yet to be concluded. The ageing forward is the top goalscorer in the Saudi Pro League with Al-Nassr, and still has a market value of €12m. He has now amassed as many as 1,038 club career games – a truly remarkable feat in itself. In those matches, he has scored a superb 782 goals, whilst providing 242 assists. That’s 1,024 goal contributions at a rate of goal or assist every 0.99 games. Baffling numbers over the course of en entire career. There’s little doubt the modern great’s powers are fading, but what a career it has been, and the fact he is also still a Portugal international is a testament to his robotic work-rate on and off the field. Ronaldo has hinted that he may retire in the next two or three years, but don’t be surprised to see him still playing in five years time at 45 years of age. A true legend of football.