2002-03 Panini Mega Craques #137 Cristiano Ronaldo: 'Young Promises' at Sporting, and as Many PSA 10s as 8s
Before Manchester United, before the No. 7, Panini's Mega Craques set showed Cristiano Ronaldo in Sporting's green-and-white hoops under a two-word heading: "jovens promessas," young promises. Card #137 comes from the 2002-03 season, his first in Sporting's first team. PSA's population for it has an unusual top end: 40 PSA 10s, 22 PSA 9s and 40 PSA 8s.
The Player
Ronaldo was born on Feb. 5, 1985, and came up through Sporting CP's youth teams. Manager László Bölöni promoted him to the first team, and on Aug. 14, 2002, at 17, he played his first official match, a Champions League qualifier against Inter Milan. His Primeira Liga debut came a month later against Braga. On Oct. 7 he scored twice against Moreirense in a 3-0 win.
He stayed one season. On Aug. 6, 2003, Sporting beat Manchester United 3-1 in a friendly, and Alex Ferguson came away calling him "one of the most exciting young players" he had ever seen. Six days later United signed him for £12 million, which was an England record for a teenager. He had worn No. 28 at Sporting and asked for it again. United gave him No. 7.
The Card
The design runs a silver band down the left edge, with "CRISTIANO RONALDO" stacked in large letters and "Sporting" in orange script. "Jovens promessas" sits in yellow in the top-left corner, and the club crest is at the foot of the band. Ronaldo is pictured on the ball mid-stride, in the hooped home shirt with the PT sponsor across the chest, his eyes down on the ball. It is a card of a teenager the set filed under prospects.
PSA Population Report
| PSA Grade | Population |
|---|---|
| PSA 10 | 40 |
| PSA 9 | 22 |
| PSA 8 | 40 |
| Total Graded (All Grades) | 415 |
* Population data as of October 27, 2026. PSA population counts are dynamic and increase as more cards are submitted for grading.
What the Population Shows
Most copies of this card grade in the middle. PSA's report for #137 runs:
- PSA 1: 11
- PSA 2: 15
- PSA 3: 33
- PSA 4: 51
- PSA 5: 92
- PSA 6: 73
- PSA 7: 36
- PSA 8: 40
- PSA 9: 22
- PSA 10: 40
PSA 5 is the single most common grade, and grades 4 through 6 together hold 216 copies, about half of the 415. Two more are graded Authentic.
Then the curve does something it usually doesn't. It falls from 92 at PSA 5 to 36 at PSA 7, ticks up to 40 at PSA 8, drops to 22 at PSA 9, and climbs back to 40 at PSA 10. There are almost twice as many tens as nines, and exactly as many tens as eights.
Only 102 copies have graded 8 or better, about one in four. The tens alone are just under one copy in ten.
What Came After
The young promise was kept. Ronaldo won three straight Premier League titles and the 2007-08 Champions League at United, and his first Ballon d'Or at 23. Real Madrid paid €94 million for him in 2009, then the most expensive transfer in history. He went on to Juventus, back to United and then to Al-Nassr, and he captained Portugal to the European Championship in 2016. He has won five Ballons d'Or, and Wikipedia counts more than 980 official senior goals for club and country, the most in the history of the sport.
The Mega Craques #137 shows Cristiano Ronaldo at 17, in Sporting's hoops, filed under "young promises." Of the 415 copies PSA has graded, most landed at 4, 5 or 6. At the very top, PSA 10s are as common as eights and outnumber nines almost two to one.
