This sweet little boy in the photo is now one of the most famous men in the world

He grew up on a tiny, windswept Atlantic island, and a childhood heart scare nearly derailed his dreams. Now, a rare photo of the boy who would become one of the world’s most famous faces is going viral.

Born in 1985 as the fourth child in his family, his life almost never began—his mother once tried to end the pregnancy but failed. Despite a difficult upbringing and the loss of his father to alcoholism, he rose to global fame. That shy boy was none other than football superstar Cristiano Ronaldo, born in Funchal, Madeira.