Cristiano Ronaldo reveals 'I suffered a lot at that moment' in confession to Rio Ferdinand

Cristiano Ronaldo has admitted that leaving home at just 12 years old was one of the highlights of his life and caused him “tremendous pain”. The superstar told former team-mate Rio Ferdinand that he left his native Madeira for mainland Portugal and Sporting CP, where he was separated from his mother, father and siblings.

Ronaldo took a big step forward at a young age. But his development at Sporting and his arrival at Manchester United in such a short space of time shows that this leap has paid off.

As he approaches 40 and has scored his 900th career goal, the Portuguese forward shows no signs of slowing down. He believes that taking the step as a child has toughened him up for the chapters that followed.

Asked about leaving home, the superstar revealed on his YouTube channel UR to Ferdinand: “For me, that was the main point, the big change in my life – it was suffering a lot at that time.

“That’s why I’m more willing and able to cope with the bad times – we all have them. When I moved away at 11/12, it was really hard for me without my family, my mum, my dad, my brothers and sisters. Imagine your 11-year-old child moving to London, to another country.

“It's difficult, but my parents have always supported me and said: 'Listen, Cristiano. If you want to achieve your dream, it will be difficult for us and for you, but we will give you the opportunity' – and I left.”

Things moved relatively quickly once Ronaldo joined Sporting in 1997. At just 17 years old, he had progressed quickly through the ranks in the Portuguese capital.

He made his first-team debut in 2002, against Inter Milan in a Champions League qualifier. That season, he attracted the attention of some of Europe's biggest teams, including Arsenal, who invited him to train at the club's training ground.

But Ferguson's long-term interest from the Red Devils came to fruition in a friendly in 2003, and the rest is history. Five Ballons d'Ors later, the great forward attributes much of his success to his change of direction as a child.

“It was tough, and I'm blessed,” Ronaldo added. “I'm happy because after overcoming that moment, that difficult situation, I'm now able to move on to another chapter in my life – to deal with all the pressure that we all have in football, outside of football, with my family, my wife, everything.”