Cristiano Ronaldo has admitted that leaving home at just 12 years old was one of the main points of his life and saw him “suffer” greatly. The superstar opened up to ex-team-mate Rio Ferdinand about leaving behind his native Madeira for mainland Portugal and Sporting CP – where he was separated from his mother, father, and siblings.
Ronaldo took a huge leap at a young age. But his development at Sporting and subsequent acquisition by Manchester United in such a short space of time, shows it was a leap that paid off – and then some.
Now approaching 40 and having just notched his 900th career goal, the Portuguese forward shows no signs of slowing down. He believes that making the move as a child has hardened him for the chapters that followed.
When asked about leaving home, the superstar revealed on his UR YouTube Channel to Ferdinand: “For me, it was the main point, the big switch in my life – it was to suffer a lot at that moment.
“This is why I’m more willing and capable now to deal with the bad moments – which we all have, bad moments. When I moved at 11/12 years old there, it was really, really hard for me without my family, my mum, my dad, my brothers and sisters. Imagine your kid at 11 years old goes to London, another country.
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