Although Cristiano Ronaldo is 38 years old and no longer playing at the top level, his career is still making headlines and he is still breaking records.
On Thursday, Ronaldo will have the chance to become the player with the most appearances in the history of any national team in the world.
The Portuguese captain reached, during the last World Cup, 196 international matches for his country, a mark that no one has surpassed in the history of any nation.
Those 196 matches are the same as Kuwait’s Bader Al-Mutawa, who played his last match on June 14, 2022.
Now, Ronaldo will play his 197th international game against Liechtenstein, if Roberto Martinez gives him the chance.
Everything seems to indicate that he will, although it is not known whether he will start or play in the second half.
The players with the most international caps in history
Cristiano Ronaldo’s impressive Portugal career
Ronaldo made his debut on August 20, 2003 and his last game, for now, was on December 10, 2022 in Qatar.
That said, Ronaldo will not stop here. He can increase his record and will presumably surpass 200 games as his intention is to reach Euro 2024 in Germany, at least.
After playing in the Qatar World Cup without a club team, the Portuguese legend will have a new opportunity with the new coach despite his departure to the Saudi Arabian League.
“We’re going to start a footballing process to try to get to know all the players that could make it to the national team,” explained Roberto Martinez when asked about Ronaldo in the press conference when he was appointed coach.
“We’re going to give all the players an opportunity and respect all those who are already in the national team. Cristiano is one of them.”