Yet for all of his 451 goals in all competitions and the silverware he helped amass, Ronaldo's time at the Bernabeu was fraught with moments of high tension leading to Tuesday's announcement that he was joining the Italian champions.
In playing terms, both are the leaders of their teams but they take very different approaches to their role. While Bale is widely acclaimed as an inspiration for his national team, Ronaldo's influence on Portugal is the subject of debate. Gareth Bale is constantly encouraging his team mates and is described by his manager as "the most down-to-earth boy you could meet."
Portugal coach Fernando Santos took the brave call to bench Cristiano Ronaldo and was rewarded with an artful display from his side as they set up a last-eight clash with Morocco
Cristiano Ronaldo, whose extra-time penalty put the seal on Real Madrid's 4-1 Champions League final victory over Atletico Madrid in May, was named UEFA's Best Player in Europe on Thursday.
Rumours and speculations abound that Cristiano Ronaldo will be heading to Old Trafford soon.
Manchester United forward Cristiano Ronaldo was named UEFA's European Club Footballer of the Year on Thursday after scoring 42 goals last season including eight in the Champions League.
Saudi clubs have spent more than 400 million euros ($439 million) in the close season to sign players from Europe's elite teams.
Not content with setting a record of 17 goals for one edition of the Champions League last season, Cristiano Ronaldo is already well on the way towards breaking Lionel Messi's La Liga best haul of 50 goals in one campaign.
World Player of the Year Cristiano Ronaldo has broken several months of near-silence to rebuff media reports he is unhappy at Real Madrid and might be seeking an exit.
He has won it all at club level and has three world player of the year awards but on Sunday Cristiano Ronaldo celebrated as never before -- with tears of joy streaming down his face after his Portugal beat France 1-0 to win the European Championship.
Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane said there was nothing wrong with talisman Cristiano Ronaldo as the Portuguese marked his longest run without scoring at the Santiago Bernabeu with a near anonymous display in a 3-0 win over Leganes on Sunday. A Gareth Bale double and a second half strike from Alvaro Morata sealed the win that kept Real top of La Liga but Zidane faced further questions about the form of Ronaldo, who has not scored in five home games, his longest run without a goal in front of Real's fans since joining the club in 2009. Ronaldo's last goal at the Bernabeu came against Sporting Lisbon on Sept. 14. His only goal there in the league was against Osasuna on Sept. 10.
Cristiano Ronaldo was seen consoling Gareth Bale after the final whistle, and he also congratulated the Welshman.
Cristiano Ronaldo has been voted UEFA's 2015-16 Best Player in Europe ahead of Real Madrid team mate Gareth Bale and Atletico Madrid's Antoine Griezmann.
Real Madrid football star Cristiano Ronaldo has donated a whopping 7 million euros ($7.78m) to the Save the Children foundation's efforts in Nepal following the deadly earthquake last month.
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are potential targets for Inter-Miami, co-owner David Beckham said on Wednesday, underscoring his team's global ambition as they prepare to make their long-awaited Major League Soccer debut this weekend.
Barcelona believes Manchester United is a better side without Real Madrid star winger Cristiano Ronaldo. Meanwhile, Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson is ready to welcome back Ronaldo to Old Trafford.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
The ace striker is optimistic about playing against Juventus in Champions League second leg tie.
Cristiano Ronaldo faces a race against time to get fit for Real Madrid's UEFA Champions League semi-final first leg at Manchester City on Tuesday after he picked up a thigh muscle injury.
The switch to centre-forward has also seen Ronaldo overtake Jimmy Greaves as the top goalscorer in Europe's top five leagues with 368 goals between the Premier League and La Liga, while also passing the milestones of 400 goals for Real and 100 Champions League strikes.
The jawan performed his duty well and did not allow the rioters to loot the police weapons store, security officials said.
Cristiano Ronaldo has accepted that he needs to rest more and that sitting out the odd game is in the interests of him and Real Madrid, coach Zinedine Zidane said on Friday. Real's all-time top scorer has missed four of his team's 15 league games this season, two more than in the whole of the last campaign, and he was a surprise omission from the squad for Wednesday's King's Cup game against Sevilla. Zidane remarked last year that he would prefer Ronaldo to rest more after injuries forced him to miss vital games at the end of the season, although the Frenchman appears to have reached agreement with his talisman this campaign.
Cristiano Ronaldo gave Zinedine Zidane a ringing endorsement as Real Madrid coach after their 1-0 defeat by Atletico Madrid in the city derby at the Bernabeu on Saturday.
Cristiano Ronaldo continued his prolific start to the season with four goals, including two penalties, as Real Madrid came from behind to beat Elche 5-1 in La Liga on Tuesday.
Cristiano Ronaldo has suggested Real Madrid should offer him a 10-year contract to ensure he sees out his career at the Spanish club. "If I were the president of Real Madrid, I would give myself a 10-year contract," Real's all time top scorer, now 31, told reporters after scoring on his return from injury in a 5-2 La Liga win over promoted Osasuna. Ronaldo's current contract runs out in 2018.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Real Madrid's Portugal striker Cristiano Ronaldo was crowned the best soccer player in the world for the second year running at FIFA's The Best awards gala on Monday.
If history ultimately judges the finest talents by their achievements on the international stage, where neither player has tasted success, then the Portuguese captain could use Sunday's Euro 2016 final to land a haymaker blow in one of football's great rivalries.
Cristiano Ronaldo scrambled a second-half goal to give Portugal an uninspiring 1-0 win over Armenia in their Euro 2016 qualifier on Friday in Faro.
Cristiano Ronaldo's subdued performances for Portugal at the World Cup after his scintillating form for Real Madrid last season suggest the tournament was a bridge too far for the Ballon d'Or holder.
Rank outsiders Iceland enjoyed a superb big-stage debut as they clinched a shock 1-1 draw against Euro 2016 Group F favourites Portugal on Tuesday.
Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo has said his former club Manchester United lacked 'a bit of an identity' under the tutelage of sacked manager Louis van Gaal.
Cristiano Ronaldo netted a first-half penalty as injury-depleted Real Madrid recovered from their derby defeat by Atletico Madrid at the weekend with a 3-1 win at Levante on Wednesday.
Cristiano Ronaldo scored a penalty and missed another as Real Madrid beat Real Sociedad 3-1.
After being named this year's UEFA's Best Player in Europe, Portugal and Real Madrid star striker Cristiano Ronaldo has insisted that Atletico Madrid forward Antoine Griezmann deserved the coveted trophy more than him.
Unions representing the majority of workers at Fiat Chrysler in Italy rejected a strike called by an independent labour group in protest against the huge sums of money spent by Italy's Juventus soccer club to sign Cristiano Ronaldo.
Losing a final to Cristiano Ronaldo has become an unfortunate habit for Antoine Griezmann and he is not happy about it.
Cristiano Ronaldo criticised Portugal's display in the 1-1 draw with Israel and was tight-lipped on claims he deliberately got himself booked to ensure his availability for next month's World Cup qualifying playoffs.
Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri believes Cristiano Ronaldo deserves to win the Ballon D'Or, following media reports that the forward has not been short-listed for the award's final three for the first time since 2010.
Cristiano Ronaldo converted one penalty, missed another and also scored from open play as Portugal beat Latvia 4-1 in their World Cup qualifier on Sunday. On a typically dramatic night for the Portugal captain, Ronaldo fired the European champions ahead from his first spot kick of the evening in the first half, but missed a chance to double their lead when his second effort struck the post.
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