Norte (Portuguese: Região Norte, IPA: [ʁɨʒiˈɐ̃w ˈnɔɾt(ɨ)]; "North Region") is a region in the northern part of Portugal. It is a land of dense vegetation and profound historic and cultural wealth. Its capital is the city of Porto. The region has 3,689,173 inhabitants according to the 2011 census, and its area is 21,278 km² (density of 173 inhabitants per square kilometre). It is one of five regions of Mainland Portugal (NUTS II subdivisions). Northern Portugal is a culturally varied region, thus historical rivalries between different neighbouring cities and towns are very common, unlike other Portuguese regions where every city and town is culturally very similar.

The region has been inhabited since prehistoric times and is a key area for the understanding of both Atlantic European Megalithic and Castro cultures. Historically, northern Portugal had been the southern realm of Galicia (see Gallaecia), which up to the 12th century formed part of the combined Kingdom of Galicia and León, being this southern area known as the County of Portugal. It was in the County of Portugal where Portugal's first king, Dom Afonso Henriques, was born in the beginning of the 12th century. The Kingdom of Galicia at the time of the Swabian Dynasty (5th-6th C AD) had its capital in the now northern Portuguese city of Braga. The original Galician-Portuguese language was developed in the Galician/northern Portuguese area, taken down south as the Portuguese Kingdom expanded, namely after Afonso Henriques era.

Portugal ⁱ/ˈpɔrtʃʉɡəl/ (Portuguese: Portugal, IPA: [puɾtuˈɣaɫ]), officially the Portuguese Republic (Portuguese: República Portuguesa) is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula . Portugal is the westernmost country of mainland Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the Azores and Madeira are part of Portugal. The country is named after its second largest city, Porto, whose Latin name was Portus Cale.

The land within the borders of the current Portuguese Republic has been continuously settled since prehistoric times: occupied by Celts like the Gallaeci and the Lusitanians, integrated into the Roman Republic and later settled by Germanic peoples such as the Suebi, Swabians, Vandals and the Visigoths. In the 8th century most of the Iberian Peninsula was conquered by Moorish invaders professing Islam, which were later expelled by the Knights Templar under the Order of Christ. During the Christian Reconquista, Portugal established itself as an independent kingdom from León in 1139, claiming to be the oldest European nation state.

Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro,OIH, (born 5 February 1985), commonly known as Cristiano Ronaldo, is a Portuguese footballer who plays as a winger or striker for Spanish La Liga club Real Madrid and is the captain of the Portuguese national team. Ronaldo became the most expensive footballer in history after moving from Manchester United to Real Madrid in a transfer worth £80 million (€93.9 million/$131.6 million). In addition, his contract with Real Madrid, in which he is paid €12 million per year, makes him one of the highest-paid footballers in the world, and his buyout clause is valued at €1 billion as per his contract.

Ronaldo began his career as a youth player for Andorinha, where he played for two years, before moving to C.D. Nacional. In 1997, he made a move to Portuguese giants Sporting Clube de Portugal. Ronaldo's precocious talent caught the attention of Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson, who signed him for £12.24 million (€15 million) in 2003. The following season, Ronaldo won his first club honour, the FA Cup. He also played at Euro 2004 with Portugal and scored his first international goal in the opening game of the tournament against Greece, in addition to helping Portugal reach the final. He was featured in the UEFA Euro All-Star Team of this competition.

João Ricardo Pereira Batalha dos Santos Ferreira (born 7 January 1970 in Luanda), known as João Ricardo (Portuguese pronunciation: [ʒuˈɐ̃w̃ ʁiˈkaɾðu]), is a Portuguese-Angolan retired footballer who played as a goalkeeper.

The son of Portuguese settlers in Angola, João Ricardo returned to his parents' homeland in 1974, aged four, with the family moving to Leiria, where he started playing youth football, making his senior debuts with the same team, amateurs Sport Clube Leiria e Marrazes.

In 1993, Ricardo joined Académico de Viseu FC, playing four seasons in the second division and one in the third with the club. His first top level experience arrived with S.C. Salgueiros, but he could only appear once in the league in his three seasons combined.

Ricardo returned to level two in 2001 with Moreirense FC, playing in all the matches in his first year as the Moreira de Cónegos side, led by Manuel Machado, promoted to the top flight for the first time ever. He maintained his first-choice status in two of the following three years, with the club suffering relegation in 2005.