CR7 turns 37: Racing heartbeat to unusual nickname - 5 lesser-known facts from Ronaldo's teenage days

Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the modern-day football greats. The Portuguese turns 37 years old on Friday. Here, we present five of his unknown teenage facts.

Portuguese sensation Cristiano Ronaldo continues his quest for being the Greatest of All-Time (GOAT) in the world of football. On Saturday, he is celebrating his 37th birthday. As the world pours in the best wishes for him, we present five of his facts from his teenage days that you might not be aware of.

Abortion
Hardly does anyone know that Ronaldo was born in a low-income family. Due to his family's poverty, his mother contemplated abortion while Ronaldo was still in the womb. Also, his father's alcoholism and too many children in the family made her weigh the decision. But, her doctor refused to perform the abortion procedure. It turns out that it happened to be the right decision, or the world would have missed out on a gem.

Racing heart
While Ronaldo was a teenager, he was diagnosed with a racing heart. The condition would not have allowed him to take up football in the longer run. However, he could undergo surgery and quickly resumed training a few days later, as he finely continued his quest to greatness.

Named after president
Ronaldo happens to be a common and famous name in Portugal and football. Notably, the Brazilian Ronaldo had already made a name for himself and was rated one of the deadly strikers during his time. While many felt Cristiano was named after the Brazilian, he was actually named after former US President Ronald Regan, who his father greatly admired.

Expelled from school
Ronaldo was not really a naughty boy as a kid. However, he did not tolerate anyone disrespecting or bullying him. As a result, he was once expelled from his school after throwing a chair at his teacher. Ronaldo had claimed that the teacher failed to show him proper respect, leading to him getting annoyed and taking the step.

Cry Baby
Ronaldo has quite some nicknames now. However, one nickname he got during his teenage days was 'cry baby'. He used to get upset and began crying when his friend and teammates failed to score a goal after he had passed the ball to them. He was also called 'little bee' for his blazing speed on the field.