The Union of European Football Associations (French: Union des Associations Européennes de Football, also referred to by its acronym UEFA /juːˈeɪfə/ ew-AY-fə), is the administrative body for Association football in Europe. Fifty-three national associations are members.
UEFA represents the national football associations of Europe, runs national and club competitions, and controls the prize money, regulations and media rights to those competitions.
UEFA was founded in 1954 in Basel, Switzerland. Henri Delaunay was the first General Secretary and Ebbe Schwartz the first president. The current UEFA President is Michel Platini. Its headquarters are in Nyon, Switzerland.
1: Official name used by FIFA and UEFA for Bosnia and Herzegovina
2: Official name used by FIFA and UEFA for Ireland
3: Formerly member of AFC (AFC 1954–1974; Joined UEFA in 1994 due to the fact that several AFC teams refused to play against them.
4: Formerly member of AFC (AFC 1998–2002; Joined UEFA in 2002)
5: Official name used by FIFA and UEFA for Republic of Macedonia
Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro,OIH, (born 5 February 1985), commonly known as Cristiano Ronaldo, is a Portuguese footballer who plays as a winger or striker for Spanish La Liga club Real Madrid and is the captain of the Portuguese national team. Ronaldo became the most expensive footballer in history after moving from Manchester United to Real Madrid in a transfer worth £80 million (€93.9 million/$131.6 million). In addition, his contract with Real Madrid, in which he is paid €12 million per year, makes him one of the highest-paid footballers in the world, and his buyout clause is valued at €1 billion as per his contract.
Ronaldo began his career as a youth player for Andorinha, where he played for two years, before moving to C.D. Nacional. In 1997, he made a move to Portuguese giants Sporting Clube de Portugal. Ronaldo's precocious talent caught the attention of Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson, who signed him for £12.24 million (€15 million) in 2003. The following season, Ronaldo won his first club honour, the FA Cup. He also played at Euro 2004 with Portugal and scored his first international goal in the opening game of the tournament against Greece, in addition to helping Portugal reach the final. He was featured in the UEFA Euro All-Star Team of this competition.