Cristiano Ronaldo was given his name by his parents for a very bizarre reason

Cristiano Ronaldo is such a totemic figure that it is hard to imagine he is named after anyone else, let alone a politician from a foreign country.

But Portugal's all time record goal scorer - full name Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro - was given part of his name after Ronald Reagan.

Funnier still is that despite CR7 being born while Reagan was American president, the name was inspired by the fact that he was Ronaldo's father's favourite actor.

Ronaldo previously told GQ : 'My parents named me after him because they both liked this name and thought it sounded strong.'

They would be proven right in some way, as the forward became known for his muscular appearance and dominant frame.

The 40th President of the United States starred in a wide range of TV shows and movies across a near-30-year acting career including Kings Row (1942), Storm Warning (1951), and The Killers (1964).

The Real Madrid and Manchester United legend - who moved to Saudi Arabian side Al-Nassr in January 2023 -  added: 'I know that my father admired him.'

But by the time Ronaldo was born, on February 5 1985, Reagan was into his second term as president - far from his acting roots.

However, there may well be a chance that the late José Dinis Aveiro - Cristiano's father - made an inspired decision when naming his new-born sun all that time ago in Madeira.

If he so desires, the GOAT (greatest of all time) contender certainly has the stature and publicity pull to launch a career in acting or politics upon retirement.

In particular, he would not be the first former footballer to try his hand in politics, with some fellow legends of the game establishing themselves in a totally new environment after their athletic prime.

Perhaps most notably, George Weah has gone from winning the Ballon d'Or in 1995, to being President of Liberia.

Ukraine's Andriy Shevchenko and Brazil's Romario have also shown that there is a pathway for world-class strikers to find a way into politics.

So, it may yet be the case that Ronaldo will bear more of a resemblance to the man who influenced his name than it seems for now.