Cristiano Ronaldo’s National Team True Rookie Stickers: The Underrated 2004 Panini “Paixão por Portugal” Set
Although for years it's no longer a well kept secret in Portugal, many people are still not aware that the 2004 Panini “Paixao por Portugal” set actually has Cristiano Ronaldo’s first official National Team sticker cards.
@hookedonsoccer_cards
11/25/20253 min read
Although it’s no longer a well-kept secret among Portuguese collectors, many fans worldwide still don’t realize that Cristiano Ronaldo’s very first official Portugal National Team stickers actually appear in the 2004 Panini “Paixão por Portugal” album – released exclusively in Portugal a full two months before the pan-European Euro 2004 sticker collection.
In parallel, Panini also partnered with Bollycao to produce an ultra-rare promotional set distributed inside the popular snack cakes in Portugal. That mini-set contained three different Ronaldo stickers, but it’s the main “Paixão por Portugal” album that remains the holy grail for serious collectors.
Here’s why this set still fascinates people twenty-one years later:
Full card size (not the usual smaller sticker format)
Thicker, premium paper stock that feels like a proper trading card
Three unique Cristiano Ronaldo stickers (#66, #101, #117) + his appearance in the half-team photo (#8) alongside Figo and Rui Costa
Rare gems like the Zidane in-action sticker (#30) from Portugal vs. France, Ronaldinho in-action (#135) from the 2003 friendly (often mislabeled online as Deco – it’s actually Luís Loureiro), the legendary Eusébio “Sabias Que…” card (#129), plus multiple Figo, Rui Costa, and early Ricardo Quaresma cards.
Let’s zoom in on the three individual CR7 stickers – each with its own story:
#66 – The Portrait with #11 A classic headshot of a baby-faced Ronaldo wearing the rare #11 on his Portugal jersey. Fun fact: Panini reused this exact same photo for the official Euro 2004 album… but cropped out the number 11. PSA population is tiny – just 60 graded, with only three 10s.
#101 – The Action Shot (The Impossible Gem) Ronaldo in full stride, again wearing #11. This card is infamous for terrible factory centering. Result? Zero PSA 10s and only three PSA 9s out of 61 graded copies. Good luck finding a clean one.
#117 – The Iconic White & Blue #16 (Yes, Really) Easily the most sought-after card in the entire set. Ronaldo wearing a white-and-blue kit with #16? Relax, Porto fans – this is a throwback to the old Portuguese monarchy flag colors (blue & white). Before settling on the famous #7, Ronaldo actually wore #16 in some of his earliest senior national team appearances, then switched to #17 for Euro 2004 itself.
This is the set’s undisputed king: 84 PSA graded copies (the highest in the album), yet only one lone PSA 10 exists. That single 10 sold for $5,760 at Fanatics in July 2024. A PSA 9 moved in September 2025 for $1,030 – and prices only seem to climb.
Add the gorgeous pack design (vibrant green and red, perfectly Portuguese) and the incredible selection of players who defined that magical Euro 2004 run – young Ronaldo (named one of the tournament’s best young players), Nuno Gomes (winner vs. Spain), Rui Costa (stunning goal vs. England), Maniche (Goal of the Tournament vs. Netherlands) – and you start to understand why this album feels like a time capsule of Portugal’s golden summer.
Twenty-one years on, the 2004 Panini “Paixão por Portugal” remains one of the most underrated Ronaldo rookie releases on the planet. If you ever see a pack, a page, or especially one of those three CR7 stickers in the wild… you now know exactly what you’re looking at.
Which of the three Ronaldo stickers from this set is your white whale?
