Cristiano Ronaldo entered the starting line-up for Portugal’s opening Euro 2024 qualifier against Liechtenstein on Thursday, setting a new record for the most capped men’s soccer caps.
Ronaldo, who turned 38 last month, played his 197th international match, surpassing Kuwaiti Bader Al-Mutawa, who participated in 196 international matches, when he carried the armband of his country’s leadership in the Group X match in Lisbon.
The former coach of Portugal, Fernando Santos, put Ronaldo on the bench in the last two matches of the team in the World Cup, last year, in Qatar, when Portugal bid farewell to the tournament, losing in the quarter-finals against Morocco.
Thursday witnessed the first match of the new coach, Roberto Martinez, who expressed confidence in Ronaldo’s ability to continue performing at the highest levels with his country.
“I always look for sincerity and commitment,” Martinez said this week. “Ronaldo has a great commitment to the national team, he is a central figure and he has a lot of experience that he can pass on to younger generations.”
Ronaldo, who made his debut for Portugal in 2003, also holds the record for the most goals in international football, with 118 goals.
Ronaldo said: “I love breaking records. I broke a lot of them.”
Ronaldo scored goals against 46 different international opponents but never scored against Liechtenstein.