Cristiano Ronaldo - this is why he's such a hero

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Cristiano Ronaldo. Everybody knows who CR7 is, but few know his inspiring story.

Many 'know' Cristiano Ronaldo as a top athlete, arrogant and shallow. It's about time to get to know his incredible story.

He uses his hardships as fuel that helped him win 4 Golden Shoes and 4 Ballon d'Or. Let us know if he also won your heart.

*Updated August 2016*

The Real Madrid star grew up in one of the poorest areas of Funchal, the capital of the tiny Portuguese island of Madeira.

He is from humble beginnings. Ronaldo’s father was a city gardener and his mother was a cook.

He started playing football at the age of 9. His teammates made fun of him because his dad cleaned the locker rooms to earn extra money to support his family.

But the teasing didn’t stop Ronaldo, instead, he just trained harder. At the age of 11 he moved to Lisbon alone to join Sporting Club de Portugal.

When Ronaldo was 14, his father became an alcoholic and his brother has also struggled with addiction. It was very hard for Ronaldo, but it only made him stronger.

Sadly, his father died of alcoholism when Ronaldo was only 20. Today, Ronaldo drinks no alcohol and fully supports his brother.

That’s his story, but how have his past hardships made him a better person?

*When he was asked to donate a shirt to raise funds for a vital operation for an 11-month-old baby, Ronaldo offered to pay for his treatment – and gained a fan for life!

*In 2005, Ronaldo met Indonesian tsunami survivor Martunis. The Real Madrid forward raised funds and paid for the education of the young survivor. Fast forward 11 years and Martunis was signed by Ronaldo’s old club, Sporting Lisbon.

*Ronaldo raised €1.5M by donating his golden shoe to help rebuild schools in Gaza.

*He regularly donates blood.

*The world was outraged when a Syrian refugee father and son were tripped over by a Hungarian reporter. Ronaldo and Real Madrid responded by inviting the family to Spain and offering them work at Real Madrid.

*When Ronaldo was interviewed by a Japanese boy, who asked him questions in Portuguese, the press laughed at the boy’s accent. Ronaldo responded:

“Why the smile? Why? He speaks good Portuguese. Very good. They should be happy because he tries very hard. It’s good.”

Ronaldo does many good things for others, but he remains humble:

“I’m not going to change the world, you’re not going to change the world, but we can help. We can all help.”

How can you help? Were you inspired by this video? Let us know in the comments.

Read more about this story here:

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