Cristiano Ronaldo's Career so Far in 25 Pictures
Cristiano Ronaldo has dedicated his life to becoming a brilliant footballer and football, it is fair to say, has been fairly kind to him.
From Portugal to England, and now in Spain, Ronaldo has enjoyed a wonderful career to date.
He's won the Premier League and La Liga, the Champions League and all three domestic cups in Spain and England—he's also won the Ballon d'Or.
There's still more on the agenda though.
La Decima with Real Madrid and the World Cup with Portugal surely rank quite high.
Here is the Portuguese star's career so far in photographic form.
The Beginning, 2002
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Cristiano Ronaldo's career started at Sporting Lisbon, with whom he scored two goals for on his league debut in 2002. Unfortunately B/R's image database doesn't have images from that match, but you can find photos of him playing for Sporting by clicking here.
Welcome to Manchester, 2003
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In the summer of 2003, he caught the attention of Sir Alex Ferguson as Sporting beat Manchester United 3-1 in the inauguration of the Estadio Jose Alvalade. A few months later he made his United debut against Bolton.
Portugal Debut, 2003
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Ronaldo made his full international debut for Portugal in 2003 against Kazakhstan.
FA Cup Final, 2004
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His first piece of silverware was the 2004 FA Cup—he was among the scorers as United beat Millwall.
European Championship in Portugal, 2004
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From there he headed home to Portugal for the summer's European Championship. He scored his first international goal against Greece in the group stages, as well as scoring in the semifinal versus Holland, but Portugal suffered a shock defeat to Greece in the final.
League Cup Win, 2006
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Ronaldo was again among the scorers when United won their next trophy—this time scoring against Wigan in the League Cup final.
Winking World Cup, 2006
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Ronaldo's popularity in England took a dive after the 2006 World Cup and his role in Wayne Rooney's sending off and the wink that followed. He also scored in the penalty shootout win over England, before Portugal lost to France in the semifinal.
Premier League Winner, 2007
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Despite the grief he suffered at the start of the season, Ronaldo ended the season with a smile on his face and as a Premier League winner.
Treble vs. Newcastle, 2008
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He may score a hat-trick every other week these days, but it took him over five years to score his first professional treble.
Champions League Winner, 2008
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It doesn't come much bigger for players than the Champions League, and Cristiano Ronaldo lifted the trophy with Manchester United in 2008. He scored in the final against Chelsea, although he missed his penalty in the shootout.
European Championship, 2008
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High on Champions League glory, Ronaldo jetted off to the European Championship with Portugal. There was to be more international pain for the Portuguese in Austria and Switzerland though, as they lost to Germany in the quarterfinals.
Ballon D'Or, 2008
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Spurred on by Ronaldo's goals, Man Utd were all-conquering in 2008 and it meant the Portuguese forward picked up the prestigious Ballon d'Or award.
Carling Cup Winner, 2009
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Ronaldo scored in the penalty shootout win against Tottenham in the 2009 League Cup final following a 0-0 draw at Wembley.
Champions League Final Loser, 2009
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But he wasn't to leave Manchester as a European Champion, as the Red Devils came unstuck against Barcelona in the Champions League final in Rome.
Signs for Real Madrid, 2009
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A few months later he's unveiled in front of a packed Bernabeu.
World Cup, 2010
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After a trophy-less first season with Real Madrid, Ronaldo travels to South Africa for the World Cup. Portugal make it out of the groups, but no further as they lose 1-0 to eventual winners Spain.
Copa Del Rey Winner, 2011
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This image captures the moment Cristiano heads in the winning goal in the 2011 Copa del Rey final—it was the first trophy he had won at Madrid.
European Golden Shoe, 2011
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Ronaldo was Europe's top scorer in 2011, as recognised by this Golden Shoe. Not that he looks too impressed.
Calma, Calma, 2012
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Here he is telling Camp Nou to be calm, seconds after scoring what turned out to be a decisive goal in the La Liga title race in 2012 as Madrid beat Barcelona 2-1.
La Liga Winner, 2012
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A few weeks later, Ronaldo was part of the Madrid side that wrestled the championship away from Pep Guardiola's Barcelona.
Shootout Defeat to Bayern, 2012
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Domestic success wasn't mirrored in Europe though—Madrid's quest for La Decima again came unstuck at the semifinal stage. Ronaldo dragged them back into the tie against Bayern Munich, but missed a penalty in the decisive shootout.
European Championship, 2012
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Portugal time again: this time Euro 2012 in Poland and Ukraine. Ronaldo is seen here celebrating his late winner against Czech Republic in the quarterfinals, but Portugal would be trumped by Spain in the next round.
A Meeting with Old Friends, 2013
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Ronaldo scored in both legs—the header in the first leg was fantastic—as Real Madrid were paired with his old employers, Manchester United, in the last 16 of the Champions League.
Copa Del Rey Red, 2013
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Ronaldo put Real Madrid into the lead, before being sent off as they crashed to Atletico Madrid in the Copa del Rey final at the Bernabeu. Here he is seeing red.
Treble vs. Sweden, 2013
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It was billed as Ronaldo vs. Zlatan, but it ended as a campaign victory for Cristiano Ronaldo's candidacy for Ballon d'Or 2013 winner. His hat-trick in Sweden, to ensure Portugal's route to the World Cup in Brazil, had the world talking.
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