Reigning Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo, with more than 400 goals to his credit, is a game changer who can make defenders dance to his tune. And of course, we love him for his chiselled looks and perfectly gelled hair.

With one eye on the World Cup in Brazil this year, and the other on his son, Cristiano is a man living in the future. And with the entry of Gareth Bale in Real Madrid, he couldn’t have had things better.

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Fashion icon

Celebrated as one of the most stylish soccer stars, Cristiano cringes about his sartorial sense 10 years ago. “I look back at the photos of my early days at Manchester United where I had the spaghetti hair with yellow tips, and think why didn’t somebody tell me to change it!”

Mr Congeniality?

“I understand that some people like me and some don’t. I just try and be a good football player, a good father and a good son.”

Daddy’s day in

“People can talk to you about how great it is being a parent, but until you wake up in the morning and you have this little person calling you Daddy, it is impossible to understand just how special it is to be a father.”

Raking in the accolades

Cristiano recently bagged the Ballon d’Or award and was very overwhelmed. “As everybody saw, it was obviously a very emotional time for me. Even though it was a personal award, there were so many people in my personal and professional life who made it possible.”

As good as it gets

“When I was a teenager, I knew I was a good player and thought I could play at a semi-professional level. Of course, things progressed way past that level and it wasn’t until I was around 22 while at Manchester United that I really began to think I could be the best player in the world.”

Models Inc.—Ronaldo’s many flings

• Jordana Jardel, 2002: The Brazilian model is the younger sister of Brazilian football star Mario Jardel, who introduced Ronaldo to Jordana.
• Daniele Aguiar, 2005: The Brazilian model Daniele Aguiar has been said to have dated the star.
• Isabel Figueira, 2005: The Portugese model was rumoured to be in a secret relationship with Cristiano Ronaldo.
• Diana Chaves, 2006: Just like Ronaldo has a special interest in models, Diana has a thing for footballers. She has dated Genoa midfielder Miguel Veloso and Cesar Peixoto.
• Luciana Abreu, 2007: Portuguese singer, actress and TV host.
• Paris Hilton, 2009: The Ronaldo-Hilton fling was apparently very short-lived.

From the April 2014 issue of L’Officiel India.