Inside Cristiano Ronaldo’s new CR7 Museu: the Manchester United striker has won so many trophies, his brother Hugo had an entire museum built to house them
There are many things that are impressive about Cristiano Ronaldo.
Also impressive is the Manchester United forward’s vast trophy collection. In 20 years as a professional football player, Ronaldo has scooped no fewer than 32 team trophies and many more individual prizes.
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All of them, as well as various other interesting trinkets from his career, are on display at his very own museum, which lays on the harbour side of Funchal, Madeira – the town in which he was born and raised.
A statue of Ronaldo greets you at the museum’s entrance
Located on Praça do Mar, a square that stretches across the main port in Madeira’s capital, Funchal, the CR7 Museu is easy to spot.
Right outside its entrance stands a bronze statue of the man himself, which is usually surrounded by a hoard of selfie-hunting tourists. The statue’s stately plaque humbly reads: “Cristiano Ronaldo. Best Player In The World.”
Originally built on Madeira’s Rua Imperatriz Dona Amélia in 2013, the museum was the brainchild of Ronaldo’s brother, Hugo, who wanted a place to keep all of his superstar sibling’s trophies in one location.
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Soon after Ronaldo and Portugal had won the European Championship in 2016, it was relocated to a new, larger location on Praça do Mar – below Ronaldo’s Pestana CR7 hotel.
The square was subsequently renamed Praça CR7.
Inside is all of Ronaldo’s team trophies, some original and some replica
Among the 200-plus trophies on display for visitors to see at the museum are all five of Ronaldo’s Champions League trophies, four of which he won with Real Madrid, and one with Manchester United.
You can also see his Premier League, La Liga and Serie A titles from his time with United, Real and Juventus.
Ronaldo’s favourite prize is the Euro 2016 trophy
That’s according to the museum’s director, Nuno Mendes, who says the Henri Delaunay Cup replica is the Manchester United star’s most treasured trophy.
“It’s all here, but the most important trophy for Ronaldo is the European Cup that Portugal won in 2016,” Mendes said.
“For Ronaldo, it’s the most valuable trophy.”
Portugal produced an upset win in 2016, beating the heavily favoured home nation France in extra time in Paris, thanks to a goal from journeyman striker Eder.
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The Portuguese star’s individual prizes are also on show
The most prominent of Ronaldo’s individual prizes on display are also his most famous – his five Ballon d’Or trophies, which are scattered evenly around the museum.
The most prestigious individual prize in men’s football, each one is made of two hemispheres of brass welded together, filled with tar and coated in five kilograms of 18-carat gold.
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It’s not just silverware on display …
On top of the haul of silver and gold, there are some other extremely interesting items to examine.
There is also a wall covered entirely in match balls Ronaldo has taken home after scoring hat-tricks – he has scored 58 career hat-tricks.
Perhaps most notable is a Real Madrid jersey printed with “Ronaldo 324 Histórico” on the front to mark the moment he became the club’s all-time top scorer.
Another highlight is his captain’s armband from Portugal’s Euro 2016 triumph. The United star had written the scores of each game throughout the tournament on the armband, charting Portugal’s journey all the way to victory in the final.
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There’s even a statue made entirely of chocolate
Stood right in the middle of the museum’s floor, the sculpture, made entirely of Swiss chocolate, stands at 1.87 metres tall, weighs 120 kilograms, and took the chocolatier, Jorge Cardoso, around 200 hours to make.
What’s most impressive, however, is just the sheer volume of silverware
The sheer amount and range of trophies and awards on show is a stark reminder that Ronaldo – regardless of how you may compare him to his great adversary Messi – is one of the most talented and successful soccer players of all-time.
Though some may say having a museum dedicated solely to yourself is egotistical, the appetite for the CR7 Museu is clear.
“So far, we have received more than 400,000 visitors,” Mendes said.
- A life-size chocolate replica of Ronaldo by Jorge Cardoso – as well as spoils from his victories at Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus – all feature
- But the museum’s director says the footballer’s most treasured item is the European Cup that Portugal won in 2016, which sits proudly in a glass case in CR7