Cristiano Ronaldo is undoubtedly one of the greatest players in football. He made his debut back in 2002, and after two decades, the man has played over 1100 games and has 850 goals to his name. He has set several records and conquered many leagues. He is the most successful player in the UEFA Champions League. CR7 has the most goals, most assists, most freekicks, most penalties, most headers, and most hattricks in UCL history.
The Portuguese international has recently achieved yet another milestone, making 200 appearances for Portugal’s national football team. In a recent interview, the player expressed his views and thoughts about creating such a great legacy, and about his rivalry with Lionel Messi.
Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates 20 years with Portugal with an aim to raising the bar
Ronaldo made his debut for the Portugal national team in 2003 and since then he has helped his team win the UEFA European Championship in 2016 and the UEFA Nations League in 2019. He has certainly brought his country a long way and improved their image in the sporting world. The player talked about his legacy and raising the bar after his match with Iceland in the EURO qualifiers.
“I am proud of the numbers I reached. But I want more,” Ronaldo said. “When I play, the bar has to be up here, I want to think big”. He also talked about his rival Lionel Messi saying “If you like Cristiano Ronaldo, you don’t have to hate Messi. We are both very good. We changed the history of soccer. We are respected all over the world. That is the most important thing. He has marked his path, I have marked mine.”
It is nice to see that the two G.O.A.Ts have a healthy relationship and utmost respect for each other.
Cristiano Ronaldo played his 200th international game for Portugal
Cristiano Ronaldo made his 200th international appearance on 21 June 2023 in an EURO Qualifier match against Iceland, becoming the first male footballer ever to make the most International appearances. He not only played in the match but also scored the winning goal for his team in the 89th minute making the score 1-0.
Cristiano already held the record for most international goals and he has now added one more to bring the number up to 123. “So happy. It’s that kind of moment that you never expect to do, 200 caps. For me, it’s an unbelievable achievement,” said the Portuguese “Of course, to score the winning goal, it’s even more special” he added.
Portugal has won all four of its EURO qualifier games. They are set to face Slovakia on 9 September, and Ronaldo and co. will be looking forward to maintaining the team’s unbeatable streak.
