- Ex-Man U grabs 197th appearance
Cristiano Ronaldo last night broke the FIFA record for men’s international caps with a 197th appearance after appearing in Portugal’s Euro 2024 qualifier against Liechtenstein.
There were doubts over whether the 38-year-old would feature in the squad again after being dropped from the starting XI at the World Cup, but he has kept his place under new boss Roberto Martinez.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner overtakes the total of Kuwait forward Badr Al-Mutawa having previously earned his 196th cap against Morocco at the World Cup in Qatar.
The ex-Man United star’s goal-scoring form at Al Nassr resulted in a call-up despite fears that the questionable competitiveness of the division could have seen him snubbed.
Ronaldo earned his first Portugal cap at the age of 18, when he came on for Luis Figo in a friendly against Kazakhstan in 2003.
Ronaldo surpassed Ali Daei last September for the most international goals by a men’s player, scoring two goals against the Republic of Ireland to go clear of the Iranian’s total of 109.
The 38-year-old has since taken his tally to 118 goals for his nation.
Al-Mutawa achieved the feat in Kuwait’s 3-0 defeat by Jordan in qualification for the 2023 Asian Cup.
The forward, who has scored 56 goals for his country, currently plays for Qadsia in the Kuwait Premier League.
The 37-year-old had previously held the title in 2021, only for FIFA to validate Malaysia’s Soh Chin Ann’s total at 195