Cristiano Ronaldo continues to be a talisman for the Portuguese national team.
It's difficult to imagine Portugal without Cristiano Ronaldo, and the player himself has said that he wants to continue playing for his country at least until the 2018 World Cup, and perhaps even beyond.
LISBON (Reuters) - Cristiano Ronaldo is a figure of enormous influence when representing the Portuguese national team, although most of his fame and fortune is due to the feats he achieved playing for Real Madrid.
The results of the Portuguese national team have improved exponentially since Ronaldo's debut in 2003, in a match against Kazakhstan, when he was only 18 years old.
Portugal's recent history in major tournaments is the envy of many larger countries, having reached the final of Euro 2004, the semi-finals of the 2006 World Cup, and the semi-finals of Euro 2012, where they lost on penalties to Spain – who went on to win the tournament.
Ronaldo, who has captained Portugal since he was 22, influences his team's performance when he is out of form, as happened in the last World Cup, shortly after suffering a left knee injury during preparations for the tournament.
The Madeira-born striker, a specialist in breaking records, is the all-time top scorer for the Portuguese national team, with 56 goals in 125 matches, and only needs three more games to surpass the record of 127 appearances for the team. Currently, Luis Figo holds that record.
However, the player – three times considered the best in the world – could not escape criticism, which points out that he only scores goals in qualifying matches against much weaker opponents.
Despite everything, it's difficult to imagine Portugal without Cristiano Ronaldo, and the player himself has said that he wants to continue playing for his country at least until the 2018 World Cup, and perhaps even beyond.
"I don't make plans in my sporting life," he said in February. "If I feel good in three years, we'll see what happens," he added.