Which Portuguese club did Ronaldo play for before Manchester United?

Cristiano Ronaldo played for Sporting CP before joining Manchester United. Sporting CP, based in Lisbon, was the club where he completed his development and made his senior professional debut.

Ronaldo joined Sporting’s youth academy in 1997 at age 12 after leaving Madeira for mainland Portugal. He progressed rapidly through the club’s teams and debuted for Sporting’s first team in 2002. His performances attracted attention across Europe, especially after Sporting defeated Manchester United in a 2003 friendly match.

Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson and the club’s players were impressed by the young winger, and United signed him shortly afterward. Ronaldo moved to England in 2003 and wore number 7 there, beginning the first major international chapter of his career.

Sporting CP is sometimes called Sporting Lisbon in English, but Sporting Clube de Portugal is the club’s official name. It also produced other famous Portuguese players, including Luís Figo.

Ronaldo’s path was therefore Sporting CP to Manchester United, followed later by Real Madrid, Juventus and Al-Nassr.