Cristiano Ronaldo made his FIFA World Cup debut in 2006.
He represented Portugal at the 2006 tournament in Germany, appearing in the team’s opening group match against Angola on 11 June. Ronaldo was 21 years old and was already an established Manchester United player after joining the club from Sporting CP in 2003.
Portugal reached the semi-finals, beating the Netherlands and England along the way before losing 1–0 to France. The team then finished fourth after a defeat by Germany in the third-place playoff. Ronaldo scored his first World Cup goal against Iran in Portugal’s second group match.
The years in the answer choices can be confusing because Ronaldo also played at the 2010, 2014, 2018 and 2022 World Cups. He became the first male player to score in five different World Cup tournaments, but his debut came in Germany in 2006.