Whether you love or hate Cristiano Ronaldo, we all have to admit that he is an inseparable part of football history. His resilience and passion are unparalleled, turning the impossible into possible. No one could have imagined that the young, inexperienced teenager who debuted for the Portugal national team against Kazakhstan in August 2003 would continue to represent the crimson jersey and conquer new challenges. It has been 20 years, and Ronaldo is still here, and that alone speaks volumes.
If Ronaldo takes the field against Iceland in the EURO 2024 qualifier tonight, it will mark his 200th match for Portugal. That is a significant milestone that no player in football history has reached before. In fact, Ronaldo is simply breaking his own records.
The player closest to Ronaldo in terms of most appearances for the national team is Badal Al Mutawa of Kuwait with "only" 196 matches.
Ronaldo holds the record for the most international goals scored with 122 goals for the European Selecao. Legendary Ali Daei of Iran ranks second with 109 goals. The only player still active who can challenge Ronaldo's record is his arch-rival Lionel Messi. However, Messi's goal tally for Argentina falls short by 19 goals, and it is truly difficult to close that gap.
In the EURO 2024 qualifiers, Ronaldo has continued to demonstrate his consistent goal-scoring form, netting four goals against Liechtenstein and Luxembourg. And even though he didn't find the back of the net against Bosnia, Ronaldo received high praise from Coach Martinez: "His playing attitude is fantastic, with great mobility and effectiveness, both on and off the ball. He particularly adheres to the tactical plan that the team implements, which is excellent. I am very pleased with Ronaldo's performance in this match, on such an important day for him. Ronaldo is an exceptional player, always at the top level, a typical example of a player who always wants his team to win and who puts in maximum effort to contribute to the team."
Ronaldo dominates the Top 10 goal scorers for Portugal In the list of the Top 10 goal scorers for Portugal, only Ronaldo (122 goals) is still playing. Pauleta ranks second on the list with only 47 goals. In terms of appearances, Joao Moutinho follows Ronaldo with 146 appearances for Portugal.
