2001–07: Youth level and early international career
Ronaldo began his international career with Portugal at the 2001 European Youth Summer Olympic Festival, debuting in a 3–1 defeat to Finland.[276] The following year he would represent his country under-17 side at the 2002 UEFA European Under-17 Football Championship, where they failed to progress past the group stage.[30] Ronaldo also featured in the Olympic squad at the 2004 Summer Olympics, scoring one goal in the tournament, though the team was eliminated in the first round, finishing bottom of their group with three points after 4–2 defeats to eventual semi-finalists Iraq and quarter-finalists Costa Rica.[277][278] During his international youth career, Ronaldo would go on to represent the under-15 team, under-17, under-20, under-21, and under-23 national sides, amassing 34 youth caps and scoring 18 goals overall.[279]
At age 18, Ronaldo made his first senior appearance for Portugal in a 1–0 victory over Kazakhstan on 20 August 2003.[280] He was subsequently called up for UEFA Euro 2004, held in his home country, and scored his first international goal in a 2–1 group stage loss to eventual champions Greece.[281] After converting his penalty in a shootout against England in the quarter-finals,[282] he helped Portugal reach the final by scoring the opening goal in a 2–1 win over the Netherlands.[283] He was featured in the team of the tournament, having provided two assists in addition to his two goals.[284]
Ronaldo was Portugal's second-highest scorer in the European qualification for the 2006 FIFA World Cup with seven goals.[285] During the tournament, he scored his first World Cup goal against Iran with a penalty kick in Portugal's second match of the group stage.[286] In the quarter-final against England, his Manchester United teammate Wayne Rooney was sent off for stamping on Portugal defender Ricardo Carvalho. Although the referee later clarified that the red card was only due to Rooney's infraction,[287] the English media speculated that Ronaldo had influenced his decision by aggressively complaining, after which he was seen in replays winking at Portugal's bench following Rooney's dismissal.[288] Ronaldo went on to score the vital winning penalty during the penalty shoot out which sent Portugal into the semi-finals.[289] Ronaldo was subsequently booed during their 1–0 semi-final defeat to France.[290] FIFA's Technical Study Group overlooked him for the tournament's Best Young Player award and handed it to Germany's Lukas Podolski, citing his behaviour as a factor in the decision.[291] Following the 2006 World Cup, Ronaldo would go on to represent Portugal in four qualifying games for Euro 2008, scoring two goals in the process.[292][293]
2007–12: Assuming the captaincy

Ronaldo, pictured playing against Germany at Euro 2012, was made captain for Portugal in 2008.
One day after his 22nd birthday, Ronaldo captained Portugal for the first time in a friendly game against Brazil on 6 February 2007,[294] as requested by Portuguese Football Federation president Carlos Silva, who had died two days earlier.[295] Ahead of Euro 2008, he was given the number 7 shirt for the first time.[296] While he scored eight goals in the qualification,[297] the second-highest tally, he scored just one goal in the tournament, netting the second goal of their 3–1 win in the group stage match against the Czech Republic; in the same game, he also set-up Portugal's third goal in injury time, which was scored by Quaresma, and was named man of the match for his performance.[298][299] Portugal were eliminated in the quarter-finals with a 3–2 loss against eventual finalists Germany.[300]
After Portugal's unsuccessful performance in the European Championship, Luiz Felipe Scolari was replaced as coach by Carlos Queiroz, formerly the assistant manager at United.[301] Queiroz made Ronaldo the squad's permanent captain in July 2008.[302] Ronaldo failed to score a single goal in the qualification for the 2010 World Cup, as Portugal narrowly avoided a premature elimination from the tournament with a play-off victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina.[303] In the group stage of the World Cup, he was named man of the match in all three matches against Ivory Coast, North Korea, and Brazil.[304][305][306] His only goal of the tournament came in their 7–0 rout of North Korea, which marked his first international goal in 16 months.[307] Portugal's World Cup ended with a 1–0 loss against eventual champions Spain in the round of 16.[308]
Ronaldo scored seven goals in the qualification for Euro 2012, including two strikes against Bosnia and Herzegovina in the play-offs, to send Portugal into the tournament, where they were drawn in a "group of death".[309] In the last group stage game against the Netherlands, Ronaldo scored twice to secure a 2–1 victory.[310] He scored a header in the quarter-final against the Czech Republic to give his team a 1–0 win.[311] In both games against the Netherlands and the Czech Republic he was named man of the match.[312][313] After the semi-finals against Spain ended scoreless, with Ronaldo having sent three shots over the bar,[314] Portugal were eliminated in the penalty shootout. Ronaldo did not take a penalty as he had been slated to take the unused fifth slot,[315] a decision that drew criticism.[316] As the joint top scorer with three goals, alongside five other players, he was again included in the team of the tournament
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