Picture Credit: Twitter
Cristiano Ronaldo has been breaking records since he made his debut for Sporting in 2002 and he is still breaking records at the age of 38. The former Real Madrid forward made his 200th appearance for Selecao das Quinas in their Euro 2024 Qualifier against Iceland on June 20. The Portuguese international broke a world record as he became the first-ever male player to reach 200 international appearances.
Ronaldo surpassed the earlier record holder of Kuwait’s Bader Al-Mutawa’s record of 196 international appearances during Portugal’s match against Liechtenstein in March. The 38-year-old marked the occasion by scoring the winner in the 89th minute as Portugal won 1-0 against Iceland, who had been reduced to ten-man side following the dismissal of William Thor Williamson. The prolific goalscorer is also Portugal's all-time record scorer with 123 international goals.
“So happy. It’s that kind of moment that you never expect to do it, 200 caps. For me it’s an unbelievable achievement,” Ronaldo told UEFA’s website. He continued, “Of course, to score the winning goal, it’s even more special.”
“𝟐𝟎𝟎 𝐠𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐬 with the same commitment, dedication, and responsibility, just like the first time I played with this jersey. I am here, continuing to score, pursuing my dream and giving my all for the team and for our country. Por amor a Portugal 🇵🇹,” he captioned the post on Instagram on achieving this feat.
Portugal with this 1-0 win over Iceland, now sit at the top of Group J with 12 points and will be back in action in September when they face Slovakia at the National Football Stadium in Bratislava, Slovakia.
