Cristiano Ronaldo Reaches Record-Breaking Number of International Appearances

Cristiano Ronaldo has earned a FIFA record for men’s international caps, with his 197th appearance in Portugal’s Euro 2024 qualifier against Liechtenstein. This surpasses Kuwait forward Badr Al-Mutawa’s total of 196 caps, which was achieved in the World Cup in Qatar against Morocco. To celebrate this milestone, Ronaldo scored a double against Liechtenstein, including a signature free kick, bringing his all-time goalscoring record to 120. His first cap for Portugal was at the age of 18, when he replaced Luis Figo in a friendly against Kazakhstan in 2003. His first international goal was scored on his eighth cap, against Greece. Last September, Ronaldo surpassed Ali Daei’s record for most international goals by a men’s player, scoring two goals against the Republic of Ireland to take his tally to 109. He has since taken his total to 118 goals for his nation. In 2021, Ronaldo had previously held the title, but FIFA validated Malaysia’s Soh Chin Ann’s total at 195.