In a world filled with footballing hyperbole, Cristiano Ronaldo is worthy of all the superlatives.
Portuguese look to United star for inspiration
In a world filled with footballing hyperbole, Cristiano Ronaldo is worthy of all the superlatives.
There is little that hasn't been said about or done by the Portuguese star over the last 12 months on his imperious march to superstardom.
Now the stage is set for him to help lead Luiz Felipe Scolari's Portugal squad to glory in Austria and Switzerland.
Born on the Portuguese island of Madeira, Ronaldo made his first tentative steps to the top on the books of one of Madeira's two professional clubs, Nacional, before being snapped up by Sporting Lisbon at the age of 13.
He would go on to star for the Sporting under-16, under-17, under-18, B team and first team all in the same season - a remarkable achievement in itself.
International recognition followed and he was soon to impress for Portugal at the European Under-19 Championships in Liechtenstein.
Raved
His move to England was sealed after United's players raved about the youngster on the plane home from a 3-1 friendly defeat in Lisbon.
But it only served to reinforce what the club's hierarchy already knew and with other clubs beginning to sniff around their target, a British club record fee for a teenager of £12.24million was concluded.
At the time it appeared to be an enormous amount of money as critics chastised Old Trafford's latest number seven as a 'one-trick pony', but he has thrown those shackles off to mature into a thoroughbred.
So while the Premier League heads into its summer hibernation, and England fans contemplate a major tournament without a re-release of 'Three Lions', their Portuguese cousins look to their new talisman to erase the memory of their Euro 2004 final defeat to Greece.
Ronaldo burst onto the scene early in the tournament despite initially being selected as an impact player to come off the bench.
He would soon be the bright new shining light as the glow of the Luis Figo-led 'Golden Generation' appeared to be dimming after an opening-day defeat to Greece.
Ronaldo, on as a half-time substitute for Simao Sabrosa, gave away a clumsy penalty as the Greeks went ahead 2-0 but headed home a consolation late on to serve notice.
Another substitute appearance followed but he started the must-win clash with Spain and has been a permanent fixture ever since.
Sparked
He sparked new life into Scolari's side, who would reach the final after Ronaldo headed home in the 2-1 semi-final defeat of Holland.
But there would be no fairytale, the dogged Greeks defying the critics and a partisan crowd to claim the Henri Delaunay trophy for themselves.
Tears at the final whistle summed up what it meant to the nation's new hero: "I'm addicted to playing for my country," he admitted, "experiences like that mark your life."
Those tears served only to endear him to his countrymen.
Euro 2008 could well be the venue for Ronaldo to not only make his mark on this competition, but make his mark on history.
