The Portuguese Cristiano Ronaldo, 38, can become this Tuesday the first player in football history to reach 200 games with his team, in the duel with Iceland, in the qualifying phase for Euro2024.
After two decades as the absolute starter for the national team, and for the most part with the captain’s armband, Ronaldo should reach two hundred caps for Portugal in Reykjavik, reaching a new record in a career that leaves the forward as one of the best in the league. history. football history
After becoming the player with the most caps in March, beating Kuwaiti Bader Al-Mutawa, Ronaldo must now become the first player in history to reach 200 caps, adding that feat to the 122 goals he has scored for his country. and that have made him surpass the 109 of the Iranian Ali Daei, a record that for many years was considered unbeatable.
It all started on August 20, 2003 in a friendly against Kazakhstan (1-0), at Chaves, under the command of the Brazilian Luiz Felipe Scolari, with Ronaldo, just 18 years old, launched at the start of the second half.
The 100-match mark came on October 16, 2012, nine years later, against Northern Ireland, in Porto, on the way to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, in a draw (1-1), with Ronaldo blank, after having worked full time in Dragao.
Already after having surpassed Luís Figo (127) with the most caps for Portugal, the forward reached 150 caps in a friendly with Algeria, on June 7, 2018, at the Estádio da Luz, in Lisbon, which served as preparation for the World Cup. Championship, which took place that year in Russia.
Ronaldo ‘landed’ in Reykjavík with 199 appearances with the Portuguese team and 122 goals.
Iceland-Portugal, of the fourth day of Group J qualifying for Euro2024, is scheduled for 7:45 p.m. (6:45 p.m. local time) and will be refereed by the German Daniel Siebert.
The ‘quinas’ team leads the group with nine points, followed by Slovakia, which has seven, and Luxembourg, third, with four. They are followed by Bosnia and Iceland with three, in fourth and fifth place, respectively, while Liechtenstein is last with zero.
Only the top two of the group qualify for the final round of Euro 2024, which will take place in Germany.
Source: TSF
