Cristiano Ronaldo breaks a new record every time he plays. This time he has his eyes set on becoming the player with the most appearances for a national team.
Portugal will face Liechtenstein tonight in their first match under new manager Roberto Martinez. Martinez has also called up Ronaldo in his squad to participate in the Euro qualifier.
If he makes an appearance in the match, he could become the player with the most appearances in FIFA men’s international football. It would be his 197th appearance for the Portuguese national team. He is currently in equal numbers with Badr Al-Mutawa who has 196 appearances with Kuwait national team.
Ronaldo Set To Break World Record For Most International Appearance With 197 Caps
— Punch Newspapers (@MobilePunch) March 22, 2023
Cristiano Ronaldo is poised to become the most-capped player in men's international football history with a 197th appearance if he plays in Portugal's Euro pic.twitter.com/qpLF9TZOP2
Ronaldo has come a long way in his career, with his first national team appearance coming in 2003. He was just 18 when he replaced Luis Figo in a friendly match against Kazakhstan.
Cristiano Ronaldo was called up due to his recent scoring form with Suadi club Al Nassr who he joined in a record contract in January. He has nine goals and also won the player of the Month award for February. He also scored a stunning freekick in his last game against Ahba.
What other records does Cristiano Ronaldo have?
This isn’t the only record Ronaldo has broken. Last September, Ronaldo had become the player with the most men’s international goals. He had surpassed Iranian soccer legend Ali Daei’s record of 109 goals. He currently has 118 goals for the Portugal national team.
Ronaldo also became the first player to score in five different World Cups when he scored against Ghana in the World Cup. He has now participated and scored in the 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, and 2022 editions of the World Cup.
What next for Portugal and Ronaldo?
Cristiano Ronaldo was benched by Fernando Santos for Portugal’s quarter-final game against Morocco which they lost 1-0. He left the pitch crying amid what many thought could be his last game for his country.
However, it seems Ronaldo is not about to hang up his boots for the national team anytime soon and remains fully committed to the national team. Fernando Santos, for his part, was sacked following his failure to lead Portugal to World Cup glory. The manager had brought Portugal and Ronaldo their first international trophy in the 2016 Euros. He then followed it up by winning the Nations League in 2019.
New manager Roberto Martinez was previously the manager of the Belgian national team. He had failed to win anything with Belgium’s Golden Generation. The Spanish coach stepped down from the role after Belgium failed to progress from the group stage in the last World Cup. Portugal then called Martinez to fill their empty manager seat. He will now manage them through their first games after the World Cup.
While Ronaldo has been called back to the national team, he may not be a starter yet. As many Portugal youngsters have been on form this season, he may be benched yet again.
