Cristiano Ronaldo first played at the Olympic Games 20 years ago, the same year in which he was part of the Portugal squad that reached the final of Euro 2004 before losing to Greece.
The veteran Al Nassr striker endured a difficult European Championship this year. Despite attempting the most shots (23) of any player at the finals apart from Kylian Mbappe, he failed to score a goal as his side suffered a penalty-shootout defeat to France at the quarterfinal stage.
While the return of the club seasons in Europe are less than a month away, major international football has not yet finished for the month: the Olympic soccer tournaments begin on July 24 and run for two weeks, with the men's gold-medal match taking place in Paris Saint-Germain's Parc des Princes stadium on August 9.
But will Ronaldo and Portugal be involved?
MORE: Will Kylian Mbappe play for France at the Olympics?
Is Cristiano Ronaldo playing at the Olympics?
Ronaldo is not playing at the 2024 Olympic Games. Portugal are not involved in either the men's or women's tournament.
The Selecao's last appearance in the men's draw was in 2016 in Rio de Janeiro. The team coached by Rui Jorge finished top of their group above Honduras, Argentina and Algeria, but they were thrashed 4-0 by Germany in the quarterfinals.
Ronaldo was not involved in Rio. His sole appearance at the Games came in Athens 2004 as a 19-year-old. It was a miserable campaign for Jose Romao's side, who finished bottom of their group after losing to Iraq and Costa Rica. Ronaldo scored in their sole victory — a 2-1 win over Morocco.
How are Olympic squads selected?
Rules on how Olympic football squads are selected feature a crucial rule on 'overage players' with each qualified nation allowed to name three players aged over 23 in their squad.
That restriction does not apply to women's squads for Olympic competition.
Portugal's Olympic record
Portugal's men have only competed at four summer Games throughout history. Their best result came in Atlanta in 1996, when they finished fourth.
| Year | Host | Portugal Result |
|---|---|---|
| 1900 | Paris, France | DNE |
| 1904 | St. Louis, United States | DNE |
| 1908 | London, United Kingdom | DNE |
| 1912 | Stockholm, Sweden | DNE |
| 1920 | Antwerp, Belgium | DNE |
| 1924 | Paris, France | DNE |
| 1928 | Amsterdam, Netherlands | Quarterfinals |
| 1936 | Berlin, Germany | DNE |
| 1948 | London, United Kingdom | DNE |
| 1952 | Helsinki, Finland | DNE |
| 1956 | Melbourne, Australia | DNE |
| 1960 | Rome, Italy | DNE |
| 1964 | Tokyo, Japan | DNE |
| 1968 | Mexico City, Mexico | DNE |
| 1972 | Munich, West Germany | DNE |
| 1976 | Montreal, Canada | DNE |
| 1980 | Moscow, Soviet Union | DNE |
| 1984 | Los Angeles, United States | DNQ |
| 1988 | Seoul, South Korea | DNQ |
| 1992 | Barcelona, Spain | DNQ |
| 1996 | Atlanta, United States | Fourth Place |
| 2000 | Sydney, Australia | DNQ |
| 2004 | Athens, Greece | Group Stage |
| 2008 | Beijing, China | DNQ |
| 2012 | London, United Kingdom | DNQ |
| 2016 | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | Quarterfinals |
| 2020 | Tokyo, Japan | DNQ |
*DNE indicates Did Not Enter and DNQ indicates Did Not Qualify
Olympic football champions
Below is the complete list of Olympic medallists in men's soccer tournament.
| Year | Host | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900 | Paris, France | Great Britain | France | Belgium |
| 1904 | St. Louis, United States | Canada | United States | None awarded |
| 1908 | London, United Kingdom | Great Britain | Denmark | Netherlands |
| 1912 | Stockholm, Sweden | Great Britain | Denmark | Netherlands |
| 1920 | Antwerp, Belgium | Belgium | Spain | Netherlands |
| 1924 | Paris, France | Uruguay | Switzerland | Sweden |
| 1928 | Amsterdam, Netherlands | Uruguay | Argentina | Italy |
| 1936 | Berlin, Germany | Italy | Austria | Norway |
| 1948 | London, United Kingdom | Sweden | Yugoslavia | Denmark |
| 1952 | Helsinki, Finland | Hungary | Yugoslavia | Sweden |
| 1956 | Melbourne, Australia | Soviet Union | Yugoslavia | Bulgaria |
| 1960 | Rome, Italy | Soviet Union | Yugoslavia | Denmark |
| 1964 | Tokyo, Japan | Hungary | Czechoslovakia | East Germany |
| 1968 | Mexico City, Mexico | Hungary | Bulgaria | Japan |
| 1972 | Munich, West Germany | Poland | Hungary | Soviet Union |
| 1976 | Montreal, Canada | East Germany | Poland | Soviet Union |
| 1980 | Moscow, Soviet Union | Czechoslovakia | East Germany | Soviet Union |
| 1984 | Los Angeles, United States | France | Brazil | Yugoslavia |
| 1988 | Seoul, South Korea | Soviet Union | Brazil | West Germany |
| 1992 | Barcelona, Spain | Spain | Poland | Ghana |
| 1996 | Atlanta, United States | Nigeria | Argentina | Brazil |
| 2000 | Sydney, Australia | Cameroon | Spain | Chile |
| 2004 | Athens, Greece | Argentina | Paraguay | Italy |
| 2008 | Beijing, China | Argentina | Nigeria | Brazil |
| 2012 | London, United Kingdom | Mexico | Brazil | South Korea |
| 2016 | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | Brazil | Germany | Nigeria |
| 2020 | Tokyo, Japan | Brazil | Spain | Mexico |
