Cristiano Ronaldo has broken the all-time record for international football appearances, earning his 197th cap for Portugal during their 1-0 victory over Lichtenstein in their opening Euro 2024 qualifying game on Thursday night.
Ronaldo earned his 196th international cap at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, however, he was unable to break the record at the tournament as his team crashed out in the quarterfinals. He was afforded the opportunity to achieve this feat upon being awarded a place in his national squad’s Euro 2024 qualifying match by new Portugal boss Roberto Martinez.
Prior to the release of Portugal’s lineup for Thursday night’s game, there was mass speculation regarding whether or not Ronaldo would receive a place in the national squad going forward. The 37-year-old was omitted from the starting 11 in each of Portugal’s knockout round games in the World Cup, with his replacement Goncalo Ramos scoring a hat trick during the 6-1 win over Switzerland in the round of 16.
In addition to the all-time appearances record, Ronaldo has also scored the most international goals of all time with 118.
