Cristiano Ronaldo becomes most capped international player

• Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo has set yet another record in the football world
• The leading goalscorer of all time has become the most-caped men’s international player of all time
• Ronaldo started against Liechtenstein and even scored twice in the match on Thursday

Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal has become the most-capped men’s international player of all time.

The Al Nassr forward earned his 197th appearance against Liechtenstein on Thursday, moving him one ahead of Kuwait forward Bader Al-Mutawa.

Soh Chin Ann (195 caps) of Malaysia is third on the chart, with Egypt’s Ahmed Hassan (184) and Oman’s Ahmed Mubarak (183) rounding out the top five.

When Portugal lost to Morocco in the World Cup quarterfinals in December, Ronaldo equaled Al-Mutawa’s mark.

Ronaldo disclosed ahead of the match against Liechtenstein at Estadio Jose Alvalade that he considered retiring from international football after that loss.

However, he was selected to new head coach Roberto Martinez’s first squad and made even more history when he played against Liechtenstein in Lisbon.

Ronaldo, who also holds the mark for most men’s international goals (118), made his debut in a friendly against Kazakhstan in 2003, replacing Luis Figo.

Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates after scoring against Liechtenstein in the UEFA Euro qualifiers on Thursday, March 23 2023. Ronaldo became the most-capped international player of all time. | PHOTO: Independent |

Which nation has Cristiano Ronaldo scored the most against

The five-time Ballon d’Or winner, who won Euro 2016 with Portugal, has faced Luxembourg the most times (10 games), followed by Spain. (nine).

Luxembourg is also the country Ronaldo has scored against the most, finding the net nine times, while he has scored seven times against Lithuania and Sweden.

He has played 47 times for Portugal at major tournaments – 25 times at the European Championships and 22 at the World Cup – and is hopeful of featuring at Euro 2024.

“My biggest wish is to be able to take Portugal as high as possible,” Ronaldo said on Wednesday. “I will always play my part when needed.

“Earning records is always a positive thing and it motivated me. I like to break records and will now break another special one. It makes me very proud.

“But beyond [Thursday] I still have plenty of games left. Let’s see if the coach still wants to count on me to be available.”