Ronaldo is proud of his international record

The main kick against Liechtenstein 4-0 in the Euro 2024 qualifier on the evening of March 23, Ronaldo had his 197th match for Portugal. He thus surpassed Kuwait player Badr Al-Mutawa to monopolize the record for the number of international matches.

"It's great to be back, score goals for the national team and play in a special stadium for me. Proud to be the player with the most caps ever," Ronaldo wrote on social media. after the game at Jose Alvalade - the home ground of the team where he started Sporting Lisbon.

Ronaldo scored two goals in the match on the evening of March 23. He took the penalty to make it 3-0 in the 51st minute and took a direct free kick to seal a 4-0 victory in the 63rd minute. CR7 has 120 international goals, breaking his old record of 118 goals.

The match against Liechtenstein dispels doubts about Ronaldo's ability to continue playing for Portugal. Previously, in the 1/8 round and the quarterfinals of the World Cup 2022, the 38-year-old star had to start on the bench. Unlike former coach Fernando Santos, new coach Roberto Martinez places his trust in the team's top scorer. He only let young player Goncalo Ramos come on to replace Ronaldo from the 78th minute.

Ronaldo played for Portugal for the first time in a friendly against Kazakhstan in 2003. At that time, he was still an 18-year-old player, replacing the legendary Luis Figo. Ronaldo scored his first goal for Portugal in the eighth game, against Greece.

In September 2022, Ronaldo surpassed Ali Daei to become the all-time top international goalscorer. His 120 goals have surpassed the old record of 109 goals of the former Iranian striker.

Al-Mutawa set an old record of 196 international matches in June 2022, in Kuwait's 0-3 loss to Jordan in the 2023 Asian Cup qualifiers. The 37-year-old striker had 56 goals for Kuwait.

The victory over Liechtenstein is Portugal's first match in the Euro 2024 qualifying round. On March 28, in the second round, Ronaldo and his teammates were guests on the field of Luxembourg.

1. Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal) - 197 matches 2. Al-Mutawa (Kuwait) - 196 3. Soh Chin Ann (Malaysia) - 195 4. Ahmed Hassan (Egypt) - 184 5. Mubarak (Oman) - 183 6. Sergio Ramos (Spain) - 180 7. Guardado (Mexico) - 179 8. Al-Deayea (Saudi Arabia) - 178 9. Claudio Suarez (Mexico) - 177 10. Buffon (Italy) - 176