There aren't a lot of soccer players in the world today that can honestly state they are more popular than Cristiano Ronaldo. Except for a few already established super stars such as Ronaldinho or David Beckham, Cristiano Ronaldo is probably the most popular rising star on the pitch.

His good looks combined with his awesome repertoire of Cristiano Ronaldo soccer tricks and a hint of trademarked Cristiano Ronaldo goals made him reach the level of fame on which he is basking in the spotlight sun today.

This Cristiano Ronaldo biography will try to take you through his career and although it's a rare case that a player who is still in his early 20s receives a biography, I'm sure you'll agree that a Cristiano Ronaldo profile is in order, considering his huge talent and fame.

Cristiano Ronaldo Biography ? Youth Clubs

Born in Madeira to a family where soccer was cherished, Cristiano Ronaldo started playing for a local amateur youth team called Andorinha, where his father handled the equipment and acted as a kit man.

Cristiano was 8 when he joined Andorinha and by the time he was 10, he already sparked the curiosity of some of Portugal's biggest clubs. This led him to sign for the local first-division team CD Nacional, where he would join the youth club and immediately make an impact, helping his team win the youth championship the following year.

After just 1 year at Nacional, he was offered a youth contract by bigwigs Sporting Lisbon, who are internationally renowned for having one of the best youth training facilities in the World.

The young player fit right in at Sporting and started scoring regularly, although he was way too fond on his dribble at that point. Despite this short coming, he was taken in to various levels of the Portugal national youth squad, finally getting his big break at the UEFA under 17 Championship in 2001.

His great performance there drew the eyes of Liverpool's scouts, but Ronaldo was just 16 years old and the Liverpool officials decided he needs more time in the Portuguese league before they sign him.

Cristiano Ronaldo Biography ? Sporting Lisbon

Being taken in the senior squad of Sporting meant the young player's first contact with professional football. Although he didn't play regularly, the few moments that he did get on the pitch were greeted with cheers from the Sporting fans, who loved Cristiano Ronaldo's soccer tricks. In 2 seasons with Sporting's senior squad, Ronaldo got to play 28 matches, scoring 3 times before he was picked up by Manchester United's scouts, at age 18.

Cristiano Ronaldo Biography ? Manchester United

Sir Alex Ferguson, manager and coach of Manchester United desperately needed a quality right midfielder in 2003, as David Beckham had just left the club for Real Madrid.

Bringing an 18-year old Portuguese player to replace an international super-star like Beckham didn't seem like a good idea at first, but from his first season Cristiano Ronaldo's goals proved decisive and he quickly gained the love of the Red Devils' fans.

In his following seasons at Manchester, with more and more trust coming from Sir Alex Ferguson and the team's fans, Cristiano Ronaldo developed into an extraordinary player that is now feared by even the sturdiest defenders out there.

Despite the fact that he is just 22 years of age right now, Cristiano Ronaldo already has 208 professional matches and 53 goals (190 matches and 50 goals for Manchester, the others for Sporting) and 46 caps in the national squad, with a tally of 17 goals for Portugal. Impressive stats for such a youngster.

The best part is that with each passing year Cristiano Ronaldo improves his game even further, so don't be surprised if in a couple of years he steps up to become the greatest footballer in activity.