Cristiano Ronaldo turns 40: A look at the soccer great through the years

He started out as a skinny winger with floppy hair, quick feet and outrageous skills, wowing the world at the age of 17 after moving to Manchester United.

He developed at Real Madrid into perhaps the most famous athlete on the planet and one of soccer’s greatest ever goal-scorers — and is still going strong heading into his fifth decade.

Cristiano Ronaldo turned 40 yesterday and the goals are still flowing for the Portugal superstar in the twilight of his career, whether it’s for his national team or his Saudi club Al-Nassr. Who knows, we could yet be seeing Ronaldo’s famous “Siuuu” celebration at the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico — when he’ll be 41½.

Ronaldo started out at Sporting Lisbon in 2002, and impressed so much in a preseason friendly against United the following year that the English club bought him immediately. He became a world-class winger at United, winning three Premier Leagues, the Champions League and — in 2008 — the first of five Ballon d’Or trophies.

The other four were won at Madrid, where he moved in 2009 and became a lethal center forward, helping the Spanish giants to four more Champions Leagues and many more titles.

Ronaldo is the all-time top scorer in the Champions League and in men’s international soccer, and is approaching 1,000 goals for club and country as he continues his career in Saudi Arabia. MDT/AP