If Cristiano Ronaldo participates in Portugal’s opening Euro 2024 qualifying match against Liechtenstein on Thursday, he would surpass Pele as the player with the most caps for men’s international football.
When he faced Morocco at the World Cup, Ronaldo, 38, tied Kuwait striker Bader Al-Mutawa for the most appearances with 196.
And he is currently a member of Roberto Martinez’s starting lineup for Portugal.
Ronaldo, who currently represents Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia, has a record-high 118 goals for men at the international level.
After Portugal was eliminated by Morocco in the quarterfinals, there were concerns about his future on the international scene. He departed the field in tears.
After leaving Manchester United in November as a result of a contentious interview in which he criticised the team, he has scored nine goals in ten matches for Saudi Arabia’s Al Nassr.
Ronaldo, who made his international debut in 2003, according to Martinez “is very important for the team” and “I do not look at the age”.
“Records are my motivation,” Ronaldo said on Wednesday. “I want to become the most-capped player in history. That would make me proud. But it doesn’t stop there. I still want to be called up very often.”
With 354 games for the United States, Kristine Lilly holds the record for most female football caps.
Ronaldo keeps breaking records.
Ronaldo’s most recent achievement will solidify his place among the all-time greats of football.
In his illustrious career, the Portuguese star has captured seven local top-flight championships, 11 other significant domestic awards, five Champions Leagues, four Club World Cups, and one European Championship.
The forward, a former member of Sporting Lisbon, Manchester United, Real Madrid, and Juventus, has also won the Ballon d’Or five times and twice been named the Best Fifa Men’s Player.
In November, he became the first player to reach the milestone of 800 goals at the highest level. He also holds a number of other male individual records for both club and nation, including:
-Most Champions League goals (140)
-Most Champions League appearances (183)
-Most Champions League wins (5)
-Only player to score in three Champions League finals
-Appeared in most European Championship finals (5)
-Most goals in European Championship finals (14)
-Most Euro and World Cup final goals combined (22)
-Most international goals in world football (118)
-The first player to score 10 hat-tricks in men’s international football
