Part of the Sports All-Stars series from Lerner that showcases contemporary athletes in a variety of fields – soccer, skiing, swimming, basketball, and gymnastics.

In this entry, Matt Doeden provides a brief look at the life of Cristiano Ronaldo, providing information about career highlights and his personal life, but essentially glossing over anything prior to his success on the soccer field. The focus seems to be that he is a really good soccer player who makes a lot of money – and his early life which included expulsion from school and a heart condition that required surgery are given a sentence each and no further explanation. The book is a strange hodge-podge of information – not only does the reader learn interesting facts about his work ethic, fitness regime, and charity work, but then they also learn about his numerous romantic attachments, single fatherhood, and his foray into fashion and fragrances. It feels, at times, that his exploits off the pitch supersede his accomplishments on it. And it’s hard to take seriously a chapter that features a wax statue of Ronaldo in a museum that he built on his home island that is solely dedicated to his accomplishments. Optional: Purchase where interest in Soccer biographies is high, as this will likely be quickly dated. ( )