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.

The Manchester United forward is expected to be crowned World Footballer of the Year following a dazzling domestic campaign with Manchester United, after missing out to AC Milan's Brazil midfielder Kaka last time out.

Now the stage is set for him to help lead Luiz Felipe Scolari'sPortugal squad to glory at this summer's European Championship finals in Austria and Switzerland.

Born on the Portuguese island of Madeira, Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro 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.

His talent was there for all to see, the wiry kid from Funchal with the curly hair, weaving his way through defence after defence.

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.

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 English 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.

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.

A semi-final defeat to France ended Portugal's World Cup hopes prematurely in Germany two years ago but there is a genuine hope of finally tasting glory this time out.

Portugal lost only one of their 14 Group A qualification matches, clinching their place in this summer's showpiece after finishing runners-up to Poland.

It wasn't all plain sailing, dropping points in draws against Finland and Serbia (home and away) and even Armenia but Ronaldo chipped in with eight goals along the way.

Perhaps more importantly, Ronaldo has shown immense mental strength, which is becoming as much of a trademark as his potent free-kicks.

He was pilloried after his 'winking' antics at the last World Cup, where his hand in United team-mate Wayne Rooney's dismissal made him public enemy number one in England.

But for the man who overcame the death of his father, remaining in Russia to complete an international friendly, the storm passed.

He is now the darling bud who is blossoming, drawing accolades from near and far, and living up to the heady claims of being the world's best player due to a combination of raw talent and hours of dedication and training.

It's an endorsement that's hard to deny after his return for Sir Alex Ferguson's men this season.

Euro 2008 could well be the venue for Ronaldo to not only make his mark on this competition, but make his mark on history.