Cristiano Ronaldo “has always defended and projected the name of Lisbon to the whole world,” said Mayor Carlos Moedas in a statement.
“The history of Cristiano Ronaldo, several times considered the best player in the world, is closely linked to the history of Lisbon“, he added.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner, born on the Portuguese island of Madeira, arrived in Lisbon alone at the age of 12 and trained at the Sporting de Lisboa club, with which he began his professional career in a match against Inter Milan on 14 August 2002.
The attacker, who wore the colors of Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus during his career, is now 38 years old and plays for Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia.
He was part of the Portugal team that won the Euro Cup in 2016.