[b]International career[/b]
Ronaldo earned his first cap for Portugal in a 1-0 victory against [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kazakhstan_national_football_team]Kazakhstan[/url] on 20 August 2003.[sup][url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cristiano_Ronaldo#cite_note-63][/url][/sup] He was called up for [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UEFA_Euro_2004]Euro 2004[/url],[sup][url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cristiano_Ronaldo#cite_note-64][/url][/sup] scoring in a 2-1 group stage loss to eventual champions [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greece_national_football_team]Greece[/url][sup][url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cristiano_Ronaldo#cite_note-65][/url][/sup] and in a 2-1 semi-final win over the [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Netherlands_national_football_team]Netherlands[/url].[sup][url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cristiano_Ronaldo#cite_note-66][/url][/sup] He was named in the team of the tournament despite finishing with only two goals.[sup][url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cristiano_Ronaldo#cite_note-Ronaldo_profile-67][/url][/sup] That same year, he also represented Portugal at the [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Football_at_the_2004_Summer_Olympics]2004 Summer Olympics[/url].[sup][url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cristiano_Ronaldo#cite_note-68][/url][/sup][sup][url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cristiano_Ronaldo#cite_note-69][/url][/sup]
[b]2006 World Cup[/b]
Ronaldo was the second-highest scorer in [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FIFA_World_Cup_qualification]FIFA World Cup qualification[/url] in the European zone with seven goals,[sup][url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cristiano_Ronaldo#cite_note-Ronaldo_profile-67][/url][/sup] and scored his first and only [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2006_FIFA_World_Cup]World Cup[/url] goal against [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran_national_football_team]Iran[/url] with a penalty kick.[sup][url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cristiano_Ronaldo#cite_note-Por._Vs_Iran-70][/url][/sup]
During a [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2006_FIFA_World_Cup#Quarter-finals]quarter-final match[/url] against [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/England_national_football_team]England[/url] on 1 July 2006, Ronaldo's United teammate [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayne_Rooney]Wayne Rooney[/url] was [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Misconduct_%28association_football%29]sent off[/url] for stamping on Portugal defender [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ricardo_Carvalho]Ricardo Carvalho[/url]. The English media speculated that Ronaldo had influenced referee [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horacio_Elizondo]Horacio Elizondo[/url]'s
decision by aggressively complaining, after which he was seen in
replays winking at the Portuguese bench following Rooney's dismissal.
After the match, Ronaldo insisted that Rooney was a friend and that he
was not pushing for Rooney to be sent off.[sup][url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cristiano_Ronaldo#cite_note-71][/url][/sup]
On 4 July, Elizondo clarified that the red card was due to Rooney's
infraction and not the fracas between Rooney and Ronaldo that followed.[sup][url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cristiano_Ronaldo#cite_note-72][/url][/sup]
The angry reaction from the English press caused Ronaldo to consider leaving United,[sup][url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cristiano_Ronaldo#cite_note-muLeave-73][/url][/sup] and he allegedly told Spanish sports daily [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diario_Marca]Marca[/url] that he wished to move to Real Madrid. In response to the speculation, Ferguson sent Portuguese assistant manager [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlos_Queiroz]Carlos Queiroz[/url] to speak to Ronaldo in attempt to change his mind, a sentiment that was shared by Rooney.[sup][url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cristiano_Ronaldo#cite_note-75][/url][/sup][sup][url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cristiano_Ronaldo#cite_note-76][/url][/sup] Ronaldo stayed, and signed his new five-year extension in April 2007.[sup][url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cristiano_Ronaldo#cite_note-77][/url][/sup]
Ronaldo was booed during Portugal's semifinal defeat to France,[sup][url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cristiano_Ronaldo#cite_note-78][/url][/sup] and missed out on the competition's Best Young Player award due to a negative e-mail campaign from England fans.[sup][url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cristiano_Ronaldo#cite_note-79][/url][/sup] Though the online vote only affected the nomination process, FIFA's Technical Study Group awarded the honour to [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germany_national_football_team]Germany[/url]'s [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lukas_Podolski]Lukas Podolski[/url], citing Ronaldo's behaviour as a factor in the decision.[sup][url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cristiano_Ronaldo#cite_note-80][/url][/sup]
[b]Post-World Cup[/b]
One day after his twenty-second birthday, Ronaldo captained Portugal for the first time in a friendly against [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brazil_national_football_team]Brazil[/url] on 6 February 2007.[sup][url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cristiano_Ronaldo#cite_note-81][/url][/sup] This move was in honour of [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portuguese_Football_Federation]Portuguese Football Federation[/url] president Carlos Silva, who had died two days earlier. Portugal coach [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luiz_Felipe_Scolari]Luiz Felipe Scolari[/url]
explained, "Mr. Silva asked me to make [Ronaldo] captain as a
gesture... [he] is too young to be captain, but Mr. Silva asked me, and
now he is no longer with us.[sup][url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cristiano_Ronaldo#cite_note-Rediff_captain-82][/url][/sup]
Ronaldo scored eight goals in Portugal's [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UEFA_Euro_2008_qualifying]UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying[/url] campaign,[sup][url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cristiano_Ronaldo#cite_note-Euro_08_qualifying_top_scorers-83][/url][/sup] behind Poland's [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euzebiusz_Smolarek]Ebi Smolarek[/url], but finished with only one goal in the tournament as Portugal were eliminated in the quarter-finals by [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germany_national_football_team]Germany[/url].[sup][url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cristiano_Ronaldo#cite_note-84][/url][/sup][sup][url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cristiano_Ronaldo#cite_note-85][/url][/sup] Since the appointment of new Portuguese coach [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlos_Queiroz]Carlos Queiroz[/url],[sup][url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cristiano_Ronaldo#cite_note-86][/url][/sup]Ronaldo has been named the new captain of the squad.written by B.Zakhour
[sup][url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cristiano_Ronaldo#cite_note-87][/url][/sup]
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