Cristiano Ronaldo set a new world record in men's international matches by playing his 197th match for the Portugal national team against Liechtenstein on Thursday in Lisbon as part of the UEFA Euro 2024 qualifiers.
The 38-year-old striker, who plays for the Saudi club Al-Nassr, started this first match in the Seleção’s qualifying campaign for the European Championship organized in Germany, thus doubling the Kuwaiti Badr Al-Mutawa (196), with whom he had shared this record until then.
“I love breaking records, that's my motivation. I want to become the player with the most caps in history, and that would be something that, I admit, would make me proud.” But it doesn't stop there, I still want to be called up a lot during the tournament. My career,” Ronaldo warned the day before in a press conference.
Nearly twenty years of international career
CR7 made his debut on 20 August 2003, when he was 18 years, 6 months and 15 days old, playing during a friendly match against Kazakhstan. The Portuguese national team was coached by Brazilian Luis Felipe Scolari at the time.
During his nearly twenty-year international career, the Portuguese captain has faced 70 different teams and participated in all major international competitions since the 2004 European Championship, including five European Championships and five World Cups. He won the first two major titles in his country's history: the 2016 European Championship and the 2019 Nations League.
The five-time Ballon d'Or winner already holds the world record for selection goals since September 1, 2021, surpassing, thanks to a brace against Ireland, Iranian Ali Daei and his 109 goals. Cristiano Ronaldo scored his first international goal against Greece, at the opening of the 2004 European Championship, which was organized in Portugal. Thus it combines two of the most important records in men's national football.
