Cristiano Ronaldo becomes first male footballer to play 200 international matches

Portugal captain, Cristiano Ronaldo, has become the first men’s footballer to play 200 international matches, by featuring in their European Championship qualifier away to Iceland on Tuesday.

Ronaldo made his international debut in 2003.

The 38-year-old is also the leading scorer in men’s international football with 122 goals.

The Al Nassr forward is also the only man in history to have played in five different European Championship tournaments.

At the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, Ronaldo became the first male football player to score in five different World Cups.

A five-time Ballon d’Or winner, Ronaldo has two major honours with Portugal — he led his country to success at Euro 2016 and the inaugural UEFA Nations League three years later.

While Ronaldo is the record holder when it comes to men’s internationals, the all-time record is held by former USWNT and 2015 U.S. Soccer Hall of Fame inductee Kristine Lilly with 354 appearances.