Cristiano Ronaldo breaks international caps record with 197 caps

Cristiano Ronaldo set a new world record for men’s national team caps by playing his 197th match for Portugal against Liechtenstein on Thursday in Lisbon for Euro 2024 qualifying.

The 38-year-old striker, playing in the Saudi club of Al-Nassr, started at the start of this first meeting of the Seleção qualifying campaign towards the European championship organized in Germany and thus doubled the Kuwaiti Bader Al-Mutawa (196) with whom he shared this record until then.

“I like breaking records, that’s my motivation, I want to become the player with the most caps in history, it would be something, I admit, that would make me proud. But it doesn’t stop there, I would still like to be called up very often during my career, ”Ronaldo had warned the day before at a press conference.

Almost twenty years of international career

CR7 honored his first cap August 20, 2003, at 18 years, 6 months and 15 days, coming into play in a friendly match against Kazakhstan. Portugal was then coached by the Brazilian Luis Felipe Scolari.

In nearly twenty years of international career, the Portuguese captain has faced 70 different nations and participated in all major international competitions since Euro 2004, five European Championships and five World Cups. He won the first two major trophies in the history of his country: Euro 2016 and the League of Nations 2019.

The five-time Golden Ball already held the world record for goals in selection since September 1, 2021 by overtaking, thanks to a double against Ireland, the Iranian Ali Daei and his 109 achievements. Cristiano Ronaldo scored his first international goal against Greece, opening Euro 2004 in Portugal. He has thus accumulated two of the most important records in men’s football.

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