Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal: 10 iconic moments

From a tearful teenager at Euro 2004 to the captain who led Portugal to their first major international trophy, Cristiano Ronaldo's journey has been a story of extraordinary goals, painful defeats and historic achievements.

Cristiano Ronaldo's international career has been about much more than goals and records. It has been a journey spanning more than two decades, marked by individual brilliance, heartbreaking disappointments and, eventually, historic triumphs.

When he made his Portugal debut in 2003, few could have imagined that he would become the country's greatest goalscorer, its most-capped player and one of the most influential figures in international football.

Here are ten moments that define his remarkable journey with Portugal.

At 19, Ronaldo was among the youngest members of Portugal's talented squad at Euro 2004. Playing on home soil, he scored against Greece in the opening match and again in the semi-final against the Netherlands, helping Portugal reach the final.

But the dream ended in heartbreak. Portugal lost 1–0 to Greece, and television cameras captured Ronaldo crying after the final whistle.

It was an early defining image of his international career. The teenager had discovered both the possibilities and the cruelties of football at the highest level.

Portugal's quarter-final against England ended goalless after extra time. The match was overshadowed by Wayne Rooney's controversial sending-off and Ronaldo's involvement in the incident.

Portugal goalkeeper Ricardo saved three penalties in the shootout before Ronaldo converted the decisive kick to secure a 3–1 victory.

His famous wink towards the Portuguese bench became one of the tournament's most memorable images. Portugal eventually reached the semi-finals.

Ronaldo faced criticism after Portugal's opening defeat to Germany and a difficult performance against Denmark. He responded with two goals against the Netherlands to help Portugal reach the quarter-finals.

Against the Czech Republic, he produced another decisive moment, rising above the defence to score a magnificent header in the 79th minute.

Portugal won 1–0 and advanced to the semi-finals, where they eventually lost to Spain on penalties.

Portugal needed to overcome Sweden in a two-legged play-off to qualify for the 2014 World Cup. The contest became a highly anticipated duel between Ronaldo and Zlatan Ibrahimović.

Ronaldo scored the only goal in the first leg in Lisbon. In Stockholm, Ibrahimović scored twice, putting Portugal under enormous pressure.
Ronaldo responded with a devastating hat-trick, securing a 3–2 victory. Portugal won 4–2 on aggregate.

It was perhaps his greatest two-legged individual performance for the national team, with all four Portuguese goals coming from their captain.

Portugal's group-stage campaign was unconvincing, with three consecutive draws leaving their qualification in doubt.

Their final group match against Hungary became a thriller. Hungary took the lead three times, but Ronaldo responded with two goals.

His first was a spectacular backheel finish, redirecting João Mario's cross into the net. He later headed home another equaliser to make it 3–3.

The result helped Portugal qualify for the knockout stages as one of the best third-placed teams. It was a crucial turning point in their eventual championship-winning campaign.

Portugal faced a confident Wales side led by Gareth Bale in the semi-finals.
Five minutes into the second half, Ronaldo rose above the Welsh defence to meet Raphaël Guerreiro's cross, producing a powerful header to break the deadlock.

Three minutes later, his long-range effort was deflected into the path of Nani, who scored Portugal's second.

The 2–0 victory took Portugal into their second European Championship final, bringing Ronaldo within reach of the international trophy he had pursued since 2004.

Perhaps the most emotional moment of Ronaldo's international career came against France in the Euro 2016 final.

He suffered a knee injury following a challenge by Dimitri Payet and was forced off in the 25th minute, leaving the pitch in tears.

But he did not retreat from the occasion. Ronaldo spent the remainder of the match on the touchline, encouraging teammates and passionately urging them forward.

After 90 minutes, the match remained goalless. Then, in extra time, substitute Éder scored the decisive goal.

Portugal won 1–0, claiming their first major international trophy.

Twelve years after crying following the Euro 2004 final defeat, Ronaldo was crying again—but this time as a European champion.

This was arguably Ronaldo's greatest individual performance for Portugal.
Against Spain in their opening World Cup match, he scored a first-half penalty and then benefited from a David de Gea error to make it 2–2.

Spain took the lead again through a spectacular Nacho strike, but Ronaldo had one more moment of brilliance.

In the 88th minute, he curled an extraordinary free-kick over the Spanish wall and into the net to secure a 3–3 draw.

At 33, he became the oldest player at the time to score a World Cup hat-trick. It was a performance that demonstrated his extraordinary ability to deliver on the biggest stage.

Ronaldo returned to the Portuguese team for the Nations League semi-final against Switzerland after missing several international fixtures following the 2018 World Cup.

He opened the scoring with a superb free-kick. After Switzerland equalised, he struck twice in the closing stages to complete his hat-trick.

Portugal won 3–1 and advanced to the final, where they defeated the Netherlands 1–0 through Gonçalo Guedes's goal.

Ronaldo had helped Portugal secure their second major international trophy in three years, demonstrating that Euro 2016 had not been an isolated achievement.

At 37, Ronaldo arrived in Qatar knowing that this might be his final opportunity to win the World Cup.

Against Ghana, he converted a penalty to give Portugal the lead in their opening match.

The goal made history: Ronaldo became the first male footballer to score in five different World Cups, having previously scored in 2006, 2010, 2014 and 2018.

Portugal won 3–2, but the tournament eventually ended in disappointment. They lost to Morocco in the quarter-finals, and Ronaldo left the pitch in tears.

Even in defeat, he had added another extraordinary record to his international career.