Ronaldo’s Spectacular Saudi Debut
Thousands of fans packed Saudi club Al Nassr’s Mrsool Park stadium to welcome football legend Cristiano Ronaldo. (Jan. 4) (AP video/Majd Handan)
AP
International soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo became the first male player to make 200 international appearances on Tuesday, adding another record to a long list of international ones. He was awarded a Guinness World Record for the achievement before Portugal’s meeting against Iceland, a match part of the UEFA Euro 2024 qualifiers.
He punctuated the milestone cap by scoring the winning goal in the 89th minute in the 1-0 victory.
Ronaldo already holds a variety of international records. He has the most goals in men’s international soccer with 122. In 2022, Ronaldo became the first male soccer player to score in five different World Cups. He is also the first man to score and appear in five European competitions, a record he can add to if he appears in the Euros next year.
For Ronaldo, the new record has a different meaning.
“I say it sincerely, I don’t follow the records, they follow me,” he said, according to ESPN. “I’m happy, it’s also my motivation to continue playing at the highest level in the national team. It was something I never thought I would achieve. And I’m continuing to set records.”
Ronaldo, a five-time Ballon d’Or winner, made his Portugal debut in 2003 at the age of 18. He won a European Championship in 2016 and the UEFA Nations League in 2019. He also has the most goals during the European Championship tournament, winning a share of the Golden Boot twice.
But he has come up short in the World Cup. Ronaldo’s best finish came in 2006, when Portugal lost to France in the semifinals. Since then, he lost in the Round of 16 twice, then didn’t make it out of the group in 2010.
Portugal reached the quarterfinals in last year’s World Cup, but Ronaldo was benched for the match, a loss to Morocco that left the international star sobbing on his way off the pitch. At 38 years old, it’s unclear if Ronaldo will play in the 2026 World Cup, but his international records continue to pile up.
