Cristiano Ronaldo achieved a remarkable feat on his 200th international appearance for Portugal. In a match against Iceland on June 20, Ronaldo scored a late winning goal, leading his team to a 1-0 victory and maintaining their flawless campaign in the Euro 2024 qualifiers.
Following the game, Ronaldo etched his name in history as the first player ever to reach the milestone of 200 appearances in men's international football.
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In recognition of his achievement, Ronaldo was presented with a certificate by Guinness World Records prior to kick-off, commemorating his 200th cap for Portugal.
The 38-year-old forward, playing in the no.9 position, sealed the victory for his team in the 89th minute by converting Goncalo Inacio's close-range header. Initially disallowed due to an offside call, the goal was eventually awarded by the video assistant referee, further extending Ronaldo's world record of 123 international goals.
[blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true"]Cristiano Ronaldo is the first player to make 200 appearances in men's international football š [a href="https://t.co/kGO6wn3XwT"]pic.twitter.com/kGO6wn3XwT[/a]
ā GOAL (@goal) [a href="https://twitter.com/goal/status/1671231000200740890?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"]June 20, 2023[/a]
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In his iconic fashion, Ronaldo celebrated his late winning goal with his signature 'siuu' celebration, adding another memorable moment to the historic match.
Ronaldo's first appearance for the national team dates back 19 years ago, when he made his debut as a substitute against Kazakhstan in a friendly match that ended with a 1-0 victory.
As a veteran presence within the Portuguese squad, Ronaldo has embraced an elder-statesman role as they strive to qualify for Euro 2024. He has expressed his commitment to continue representing the national team in the coming years.
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This achievement of reaching 200 caps adds to the extensive list of international records Ronaldo has shattered throughout his career. He already holds the title of the all-time leading goalscorer in men's international football, the first player to score in five World Cups, the first player to achieve 10 international hat-tricks, the top scorer and appearance maker at European Championships, and the most caps as Portugalās captain.
Portugal remains two points clear of Slovakia at the top of Group J after a fourth straight win. Slovakia, who are Portugalās next opponents in September, won 1-0 away to Liechtenstein to also stay unbeaten.
The top two from each group will qualify automatically for the 2024 Euro in Germany.