Cristiano Ronaldo has never played for Portugal.
Cristiano Ronaldo . Ronaldo began his senior club career playing for Sporting CP , before signing with Manchester United at age 18 in 2003 . Sporting Clube de Portugal , OM , ComC , MHIH ( [ ˈspɔɾtĩɡ ˈkluβ ðɨ puɾtuˈɣaɫ ] ) or Sporting CP is a sports club based in Lisbon , Portugal , that is best known for its football team . As of 23 May 2016 , Sporting is the world 's sixth-largest club in terms of club members ( 140,000 ) and is one of the `` Três Grandes '' ( Big Three ) football clubs in Portugal .