If he plays tomorrow, Cristiano Ronaldo might earn his 197th cap, breaking the FIFA record for men's international appearances.
For Portugal's opening Euro 2024 qualifying match against Liechtenstein, manager Roberto Martinez has chosen the illustrious forward.
The five-time winner of the Ballon d'Or is presently tied with Kuwait striker Badr Al-Mutawa, who played against Morocco for his 196th cap during the World Cup in Qatar.
A call-up was made possible by the ex-Manchester United player's goal-scoring form at Al Nassr, and with just one more international appearance, he would set yet another record.
At the age of 18, Ronaldo replaced Luis Figo in a friendly match against Kazakhstan, earning his first Portuguese cap.
On his tenth appearance against Greece, he netted his first goal for his country.
After Ronaldo scored two goals against the Republic of Ireland in September, he overtook Ali Daei's previous record of 109 for the most goals scored by a male player in international competition.
Since then, the 38-year-old has scored 118 goals for his country.
Al-Mutawa accomplished the feat during Kuwait's 3-0 loss to Jordan in the Asian Cup qualifying round for 2023.
The attacker now competes for Qadsia SC in the Kuwait Premier League and has scored 56 goals for his nation.
The 37-year-old previously held the title in 2021, but FIFA later recognised Malaysia's Soh Chin Ann as having 195 points instead.
In the Saudi Pro League on Saturday, Ronaldo struck an incredible long-range free kick as Al-Nassr overcame a goal deficit to defeat Abha 2-1.
Nine goals have been scored by the Portuguese forward in his first season in Saudi Arabia.
Ronaldo scored his first goal at Al-Marsool Nasr's Park stadium after moving to Saudi Arabia on a lucrative contract in the 78th minute.
Before returning to lead Al-effort Nassr's to win the league championship for the first time since 2019, he has joined the Portuguese team for the upcoming international break.
Portugal's 1-0 loss to Morocco in the World Cup quarterfinal in Qatar saw Ronaldo exit what is anticipated to be his final World Cup.
When Youssef En-goal Nesyri's put Portugal behind 1-0 in the second half, Ronaldo stepped off the bench to replace Ruben Neves. Yet he was unable to spur a comeback.
During a run of missed Portugal chances, Ronaldo also wasted a late opportunity by sending a right-footed shot into goalkeeper Yassine Bounou's palms.
Following the game, Ronaldo appeared to be unhappy. The Portuguese skipper was seen leaving the scene in tears, and many people assumed that his impending retirement was the cause of the emotion.
blogpay
