Nader Ramzi

Mrs. Holan

English III

5 May 2017

Research Paper

Weve all hoped of fulfilling our own personal version of the American dream.

However, is it possible for someone to fulfill the American Dream if theyre not living in

America? Cristiano Ronaldo is a true example of someone who fulfilled the idea of the

American Dream despite never living in the United States.

The worlds most successful soccer player didnt grow up in the best of

circumstances. Ronaldo grew up in poverty, sharing a room with 3 other siblings. (Daily

Mirror 2011) Judging by the financial state of his early life, he didnt have many

opportunities, lacking financial support Ronaldo was not able to improve his skills with

proper gear or equipment. Ronaldo had heart problems at the age of 15 that required

him to have surgery. His heart condition couldve caused him to quit playing. He

overcame the surgery and returned to playing even better than before. (Sun Online 29 Jan.
2009)

Ronaldo started his soccer career at Sporting CP. (Manchester Evening News 18 April

2010) He signed with the Portuguese Club in 1997 at the age of 12. Ronaldo started

playing with their youth academy and rose quickly through the ranks. At the age of 16

he had played with all of the clubs academy teams and the 1st team. In October 2002,

Ronaldo made his debut to the Primeira Liga. He immediately impressed scoring 2 out

of his teams 3 goals on his debut. His one year with Sportings first team, led to him

being approached by both Arsenal and Manchester United. (Sky Sports 27 August 2014)
 In 2003, Manchester United signed Ronaldo from Sporting for over 12 million

pounds. He was the first Portuguese player to ever sign for the English side. (BBC Sport

12 August 2003) Given the number 7, which had been worn by many of Uniteds greatest

players, it gave Ronaldo more motivation to establish himself as one of the worlds best.

Over the next three seasons, he would help United keep its dominance in both the

English and European League. In his final two years with Manchester United, Ronaldo

developed into one of the worlds most threatening players. He finished his career of

with United, winning 9 trophies, and three successive league titles. Ronaldo joined

Spanish giants Real Madrid in the summer of 2009, for a world record transfer fee of

over $87 million. (Telegraph 11 June 2009)

Ronaldo started breaking records as soon as he moved to Madrid.

During his unveiling at the Santiago Bernabeu, more than 80,000 attended his

presentation, breaking Maradonas record of 75,000 which had stood for 25 years.

Ronaldos contract was another story, it lasted for 6 years, and was worth 11 million

Euros per year. His buyout clause on his contract was worth 1 billion Euros. (BBC Sport 1

July 2009) At the start of his seventh season with Real Madrid, Ronaldo became the

clubs all time top scorer. In early 2017, Ronaldo also became Portugals all time

goalscorer. Both his international and his domestic success caused him to become a

national hero in Portugal. On March 29, 2017 Madeira International Airport was named

after Ronaldo, who was born on the island. (ESPNFC 10 March 2017)

The American Dream was accomplished by Cristiano Ronaldo despite him being

neither American, nor living in the United States. The soccer legend has worked his way

up from poverty to becoming one of the best and highest paid athletes in the world,
establishing himself as a national hero along the way. Ronaldos example shows us that

there are no excuses for not achieving ones dream. You dont need to live in a certain

place or have a certain background, the American dream is an idea that will be

accomplished by anyone who is willing to sacrifice time, give effort, and take risks to

achieve their goals.

Works Cited Page:

Mirror.co.uk. Cristiano Ronaldo spills all to his 'close friend' Jasmine about women,

football, cars... and money. mirror,

http://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/cristiano-ronaldo-spills-all-to-his-clos
 e-friend-139054. Accessed 8 May 2017.

Heart op that saved Ronaldo. The Sun,

https://web.archive.org/web/20130619181005/http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homep

age/news/article2185215.ece. Accessed 8 May 2017.

News, Manchester Evening. Clash of the Titans. men,

http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/clash-of-

the-titans-989542. Accessed 8 May 2017.

United confirm Ronaldo capture. Sky Sports,

http://www.skysports.com/football/news/11667/2273339/united-confirm-ronaldo

-capture. Accessed 8 May 2017.

BBC SPORT | Football | My Club | Man Utd | Man Utd sign Ronaldo.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/m/man_utd/3142959.stm.

Accessed 8 May 2017.