prologue

Author's NoteThis is a work of fiction. While the protagonist shares the name and appearance of the real-life footballer Cristiano Ronaldo as a child, the story, characters, and events depicted in this novel are entirely imagined. The portrayal of "Cristiano," as well as other characters like his family and the people he encounters at the fictional Al Nassr Club, are fictional representations created for the purpose of storytelling. This book does not intend to reflect real individuals, organizations, or political commentary but rather to explore universal themes such as resilience, freedom, and faith through a fictional lens.

— Steven Bernal Álvarez.

Chasing a Dream, Longing to Wake from a NightmareIn the quiet hills just beyond the reach of Lisbon's concrete heartbeat, where olive trees stood like watchmen of time and roosters crowed before the sun dared show its face, lived a boy whose feet danced before they walked. Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro, seven years old, barefoot more often than not, with a heart larger than his village of Santo António itself, had one dream: to become a professional footballer.His family was simple, humble, and full of laughter. His mother, Maria Dolores, kept the home warm with bread she baked before dawn, and his father, José Dinis, worked hard as a municipal gardener, coming home each day with tired hands but stories that made Cristiano's eyes shine. His older brother Hugo and his two sisters, Elma and Liliana Cátia, were his teammates in the dusty backyard games that stretched from afternoon until stars took over the sky.Cristiano was not Catholic like most of his neighbors. His family had found a different path in Christ—one rooted in personal faith, in prayer, in the quiet reading of Scripture under the flickering yellow light of their small home. Every night before bed, his mother would place her hand on his head and whisper, "Remember who you are. And remember Whose you are."He did not fully understand the world beyond the borders of his rural town. He did not know of kingdoms built on oil or stadiums that glowed like palaces in the desert. He only knew the feeling of a ball at his feet and the voice of his Lord in his heart.But dreams, he would soon learn, can sometimes lead you far from home. And not every shining opportunity is what it seems.