Cristiano Ronaldo makes his Portugal debut in a friendly against Kazakhstan

Cristiano Ronaldo won his first senior cap for Portugal on 20 August 2003, in a friendly against Kazakhstan. Portugal won the match 1-0, and Ronaldo came on as a substitute in the second half.

He was 18 years old. Only days earlier he had completed a move from Sporting CP, the Lisbon club where he came through the youth system, to Manchester United in England. He had already played for Portugal's youth teams, and the call-up to the senior squad under coach Luiz Felipe Scolari, a Brazilian, confirmed his rise as one of Europe's most promising young players.

The debut was low-key, a pre-season friendly with little at stake, but it began an international career that lasted more than 23 years. Ronaldo went on to become Portugal's captain and record goalscorer, and he played at major tournaments including Euro 2004, where Portugal reached the final on home soil. The match in August 2003 is now the reference point for the full span of his time in the national team.