Cristiano Ronaldo broke the men’s global appearance record on Thursday by beginning Portugal’s Euro 2024 qualifier against Liechtenstein.
The 38-year-old player earned his 197th cap for Portugal after being dropped from the team’s starting lineup at the World Cup in Qatar last year.
Ronaldo stated to reporters on Wednesday that “records are my motivation.”
I want to be the player with the most appearances in history. I would be proud of that.
However, my desire to be called up frequently does not end there.
Before Portugal lost to Morocco in the quarterfinals, Ronaldo became the first man to score in five World Cups, making his international debut in 2003.
He is at present playing for Saudi club Al Nassr after a rancorous finish to his second spell at Manchester Joined together.
Ronaldo’s appearance off the bench in the loss to Morocco equaled Kuwait’s Bader Al-Mutawa’s previous record of 196 caps.
After Portugal’s shocking defeat by a score of 1-0 against the North Africans, he wept and left the field.
The five-time Ballon d’Or victor will likewise be wanting to build his record count of 118 global objectives as Portugal start their capability crusade for the following year’s European Title in Germany.
Ronaldo has scored nine goals in ten matches for Al Nassr since leaving Europe.
During the World Cup, Goncalo Ramos took his place as the starting striker and scored a hat trick in a win over Switzerland in the last-16.
However, after the tournament, veteran coach Fernando Santos resigned, and Ronaldo, who also serves as captain of the team, has received immediate trust from new manager Roberto Martinez.
Given that Ronaldo will be 39 years old when Euro 2024 gets underway, it was questioned whether his 20-year international career had come to an end in Qatar.
In any case, Martinez, who left his job as Belgium mentor after the World Cup, has unequivocally protected his choice to keep Ronaldo in the overlap.
Martinez stated when he announced his first team last week, “I do not look at the age.”
The Spaniard said that the announcement of his squad was the “starting point” for Euro 2024, which suggests that Ronaldo will likely play if Portugal wins the tournament.
Ronaldo’s impressive list of personal records includes the landmark international appearance.
He has scored a record 140 times in the Champions League and is the leading scorer in the European Championship finals with 14 goals.
Additionally, Ronaldo has finished as the top scorer in England, Spain, and Italy, three of the top five leagues in Europe.
Portugal will visit Luxembourg in their second Gathering J qualifier on Sunday.
Along with Slovakia, Iceland, and Bosnia and Herzegovina, they have also been included.