Cristiano Ronaldo has been making headlines before and during his doomed 2022 FIFA World Cup campaign.
First, his very public falling out with Manchester United led to a divorcewith half the 2022/23 season still left to play.
Now a free agent, he is being tipped to join Saudi Arabian side Al Nassr in January on a staggering contract potentially worth nearly €200 million ($211.4 million) per season.
With all that swirling around the CR7 brand, he flew tohis fifth and final World Cup in Qatar aiming to bring the trophy back to Portugal for the first time and lift the only title missing from his collection.
The tournament started as Ronaldo would have wanted but coach Fernando Santos benchedthe 37-year-old against Switzerland, before his 21-year-old replacementscored a hat-trick.
Ronaldo came off the bench duringPortugal's quarterfinal clash with Morocco but couldn't turn the game around, and his final World Cup chance passed by.
MORE: Cristiano Ronaldo goal-scoring record: Where Man United star ranks
Has Cristiano Ronaldo won the World Cup?
The World Cup is one of the few major titles to evade Ronaldo during his stellar career with his first major trophy with Portugal coming at Euro 2016.
He came closest at his first World Cup in 2006, when Portugal reached the semifinals, losing to France 1-0. They would fall to Germany in the third-place match to finish fourth. Ronaldo scored just one goal in that World Cup run.
They also made the semifinals again in 2012, but Spain earned the coveted finals spot on penalties. Portugal boss Paulo Bento was criticized for leaving Ronaldo fifth in the penalty shootout order, eventually left on the sidelines and not taking a spot-kick as Portugal were ousted 4-2 in the shootout.
In 2010, Ronaldo and Portugal were eliminated in the Round of 16 by Spain, and they suffered the same fate in a 2018 loss to Uruguay.
MORE: Mapping Portugal's potential route to World Cup 2022 final
How old is Cristiano Ronaldo?
Ronaldo will be 37 during the 2022 World Cup, and will turn 38 on February 5, 2023.
Cristiano Ronaldo trophies won
Ronaldo's incredible haul of trophies makes him one of the most successful footballers of all time with success in England, Spain and Italy.
Major championships for Ronaldo (league titles, primary cup competitions and European titles) are listed below
Manchester United: Premier League (2006-07, 2007-08, 2008-09), FA Cup (2003-04), UEFA Champions League (2007-08)
Real Madrid: La Liga (2011-12, 2013-14), Copa del Rey (2010-11, 2013-14), UEFA Champions League (2013-14, 2015-16, 2016-17, 2017-18)
Juventus: Serie A (2018-19, 2019-20), Coppa Italia (2019-20)
Cristiano Ronaldo goal records
Goal records have been dominated by Ronaldo and his old rival Lionel Messi across the last two decades but the former has the edge in certain statistics.
MORE: How many hat-tricks does Cristiano Ronaldo have?
He is the first player in football history to reach 700 club goals, which he did during the 2022/23 Premier League season.
By scoring a penalty in Portugal's opening World Cup match in Qatar, Ronaldo also became the only men's player to score in five World Cup tournaments.
- European Golden Shoe: 2007-08, 2010-11, 2013-14, 2014-15
- English Premier League Golden Boot: 2007-08
- Pichichi Trophy (Spain Golden Boot): 2010-11, 2013-14, 2014-15
- League Totals: La Liga (311), Premier League (103), Serie A (81)
- Real Madrid: 450 - Club record scorer
- Champions League: 140 - Record holder
- Portugal: 118- Record Holder
- 700 club goals:Scored 700th club goal on Oct. 9, 2022 for Man United vs. Everton
Cristiano Ronaldo Manchester United contract
Ronaldo opted to return to United ahead of the 2021-22 season on a two year contract with the option for an additional 12 months held by the Premier League giants.
However, the club and player eventually had a rapid falling out, culminating in the mutual termination of his contract on November 22.
Cristiano Ronaldo salary and net worth
As per reports from Spotrac, Ronaldo's deal at Manchester United earned him an annual salary of £26.8m/$29.7m at a rate of around £515,000/$571,000 per week.
Sporting News/David S. Bustamante/Soccrates/Getty Images
Ronaldo's estimated net worth is$500m (£367m) based on his wage from United, sponsorship deals and image rights contracts.
According to Marca, his proposed contract at Al Nassr will see him earn close to€200 million ($211.4 million) per season — a deal that would make him by far the best-paid player in football history.
Is Cristiano Ronaldo married? Who is Georgina Rodriguez?
Ronaldo is not married, but he is in a long-term relationship with Argentinian model and actress Georgina Rodriguez, since 2016.
The couple got engaged in 2020.
Cristiano Ronaldo's family and children: Where does Ronaldo Jr play?
Ronaldo became a father to the first of his six children, Cristiano Jr, in June 2010, with the 12-year-old currently playing for United's youth team setup.
In June 2017, he became a father again to two twins, via a surrogacy agreement, named Eva and Mateo.
Ronaldo and his partner Georgina have had three children together,Alana Martina (born in 2017) and Bella Esmeralda (born in 2022).
Following the birth of Bella Esmeralda, Ronaldo confirmed her twin brother had died during childbirth.
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Cristiano Ronaldo's mother, father & sister
Ronaldo has consistently claimed his mother Maria Dolores dos Santos Viveiros da Aveiro has played a key role in his life, from his early days at Sporting Lisbon, on into his own fatherhood.
His father Jose Dinis Aveiro died in 2005, aged 52, following years of alcohol problems, with a 20-year-old Ronaldo starting his third season at United in his first stint in Manchester.
Ronaldo is the youngest of four children, with an older brother Hugo, and two sisters, Elma and Katia — with the latter a successful singer in Portugal who has collaborated with Lady Gaga and Jennifer Lopez.
