Ronaldo becomes the first player in men’s football to reach 200 international captaincies.
Cristiano Ronaldo became the first male player to achieve 200 international caps on Tuesday. He started and scored the game-winning goal in Portugal’s 1-0 Euro 2024 qualification win over Iceland.
It’s another achievement to add to the 38-year-old’s vast list of accomplishments. He was already the top-scoring player in men’s international football history when he scored his 123rd goal in Reykjavik on a late tap-in.
“I don’t follow the records, they follow me,” Ronaldo stated during the pre-match press conference on Monday.
Ronaldo debuted for Portugal 19 years and 304 days before his 200th appearance, while international colleague Antonio Silva was only 961 days old. He is the only player to have scored in five World Cups and has won gold medals at Euro 2016 and the first Nations League three years later.
After leaving Manchester United, Ronaldo joined Saudi Arabia’s Al Nassr in January. Following his arrival, his new team finished second in the Pro League rankings.
“I’m happy and filled with ambition to continue making a lot of history for Portugal,” he said on Friday. “I’m hoping for more championships.” Two hundred games played demonstrates my devotion for my nation. Feeling like an asset instills pride and motivation in me. What I really want to do is aid Portugal.”
The Selecao’s next big tournament debut is expected to be next summer, when the Euro 2024 competition begins in Germany. Portugal leads their qualification group with four victories from four games, two points ahead of Slovakia in second place.
