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Cristiano Ronaldo delivers on promise after breaking THREE more records in Portugal victory.
Al-Nassr player Cristiano Ronaldo created more history on Thursday night in Lisbon, when Portugal defeated Liechtenstein 4-0.
Ronaldo netted a brace in Portugal’s first game under new manager Roberto Martinez, kicking off the Euro 2024 qualifying campaign in style. Bayern Munich’s Joao Cancelo and former Manchester City teammate Bernardo Silva both scored.
Ronaldo, who joined Saudi side Al-Nassr in January, captained Portugal against Liechtenstein. It was his 197th senior game for his country – becoming the most capped player in men’s international football. Yet it wasn’t his only achievement on Thursday night.
CR7 also became the first player to score 100 competitive international goals with his brilliant brace in Lisbon. The veteran’s first strike was a penalty, while his second was a ferocious free kick. It was a reminder of what he still has to offer at the international level.
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Ronaldo’s goals mean he has now scored for 20 consecutive years for Portugal. His first goal came in June 2004, when Portugal suffered a 2-1 defeat to Greece during the group stages of Euro 2004 on home soil. They famously also lost the final to Greece.
Ronaldo has scored a lot of goals since then. He has 120 goals for Portugal, making him the all-time leading scorer in men’s international football. Ali Daei of Iran is second on the record with 109 goals, while Argentina’s long-term adversary Lionel Messi has 98.
Ronaldo has 197 caps for Portugal, moving him ahead of Bader Al-Mutawa of Kuwait (196 caps), Soh Chin Ann of Malaysia (195), Ahmed Hassan of Egypt (184), and Ahmed Mubarak of Oman (184). (183).
To add further context to Ronaldo’s achievement, Sergio Ramos is the second-most capped European men’s footballer with 180 senior outings for Spain. Gianluigi Buffon played 176 times for Italy, while Iker Casillas managed 167 appearances for Spain.
Ronaldo was asked about his desire to break records ahead of Thursday night’s game. He said, “Records are always positive, it’s my motivation and as you know, I like to break records. I have a lot of records, but tomorrow’s is also a special record.
“Being the most capped player in history – I have to confess that it is something that leaves me quite proud. In addition to being the best scorer ever for the national teams, I would also like to be the most international capped player. But not only tomorrow, I would like to have a lot of matches in the future.”