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| Octavio Passos/Getty Images |
With his 197th appearance for Portugal in its Euro 2024 qualifying match against Liechtenstein on Thursday, Cristiano Ronaldo broke the all-time mark for men's international appearances.
Four days after making his debut with the Old Trafford club in August 2003, the former Manchester United attacker made his senior squad debut for Portugal against Kazakhstan. Ten months later, against Greece, in a Euro 2004 group stage match, he scored his first goal for his country.
In the Jose Alvalade Stadium, Ronaldo, celebrated his record-breaking performance with a brace as Portugal defeated the United States 4-0.
Ronaldo told reporters:
Records are my motivation
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.
Ronaldo now has an outstanding collection of personal milestones that includes the international appearance milestone. With 14 goals in the European Championship finals, he holds the record for most goals scored in the Champions League, with 140.
Ronaldo has finished first in scoring in three of the top five leagues in Europe: England, Spain, and Italy. In their second Group J qualifying match, Portugal will travel to Luxembourg on Sunday.
In addition to having the most appearances for men's national teams, Ronaldo also owns the records for the most goals scored in senior international competition (118), as well as the longest streak of goal-scoring senior international campaigns (22). Ronaldo holds the record for most goals ever with 830 total goals for club and country. Currently, Ronaldo is a member of the Saudi Arabian team Al-Nassr.
