Cristiano Ronaldo Can Trace His Incredible Success Back to Humble Early Home Life

Real Madrid superstar Cristiano Ronaldo has won virtually all there is to win in football, at club level, at international level and on an individual level. He dreamed incredibly big as a child, and it may be possible to trace his vast success back to his humble beginnings at home.

Speaking in the FourFourTwo documentary, Relentless, Ronaldo biographer and Spanish football expert Guillem Balague explained that looking into who he is and where he came from can potentially shed a great deal of light on the person and footballer he grew into.

"You can understand why he does what he does. The story is simple - when we are kids we grow up surrounded by parents," Balague commented.

"Parents put set the limits - they you: this is right, this is wrong, this is what you should do, this is what you shouldn't. It moulds your personality. Limits are what makes us balanced adults.

"But [Ronaldo] didn't have parents around - his mum was working for everyone, his dad, as everyone knows, was an alcoholic.

"Without the presence of parents, if you have dreams, you can fly because there is nobody stopping you or nobody directing you in a different way. Nobody is putting limits on you."

Having worked so hard to support the family during his childhood, Ronaldo's mother Dolores is never far from his side these days. She is hugely important part of his life, particularly where his son Cristiano Jr is concerned, while it was his father, suffered depression after serving with the Portuguese military in Mozambique, that had first introduced him to football.

Also speaking in Relentless, Ronaldo's godfather Fernando Sousa revealed, "His father (kit-man at CF Andorinha) was the man responsible for him becoming a football player.

"When Cristiano was very young, his parents had to go out to work and Dinis used to bring Ronaldo with him. As he was responsible for the equipment, there was always a ball and Ronaldo liked to play."