Star footballer Cristiano Ronaldo broke the men’s international appearance record on Thursday as he appeared in 197 matches against Liechtenstein in Euro 2024 qualifying.
Portugal won 4-0 against Liechtenstein. The 38-year-old earned his 197th cap for his nation in Lisbon as a starter after being benched from the Portuguese starting XI at the World Cup in Qatar last year.
In the 51st minute of the game, he converted a penalty to score. It was Ronaldo’s 120th goal for his nation, breaking his previous record, and making him the first person to reach 100 goals in competitive international matches.
Ronaldo had already told reporters on Wednesday that “records are my motivation.” “I want to surpass all previous players in terms of caps. That would fill me with pride.
Prior to Portugal’s quarterfinal loss to Morocco, Ronaldo made his debut for his country in 2003 and last year became the first player to score in five World Cups.
He is currently playing for Saudi club Al Nassr after an acrimonious end to his second spell at Manchester United.
Ronaldo’s appearance off the bench in the loss against Morocco matched Bader Al-Mutawa of Kuwait’s previous record of 196 appearances.
In their second Group J qualifying match, Portugal will travel to Luxembourg on Sunday.
