Yesterday was a round day for Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese striker was honored in the run-up to the Euro Cup qualifying match against Iceland for reaching 200 appearances with his team. Furthermore, in the 88th minute he scored the only goal of the game for the Portuguese to win.
The striker reached the record for most appearances for a senior men’s team on March 23 when he played against Liechtenstein in Lisbon and beat Kuwaiti Bader Al Mutawa after making his 197th cap for Portugal. However, the award came until yesterday, with a special award from the Guinness Records for reaching the round figure of 200 games.
In addition, the legend of the Portuguese is not limited only to the number of appearances, he also leads the goalscoring table of international football. Cristiano is the player who has moved the net the most times at the level of men’s teams, with a total of 123 goals, 14 from Iranian Ali Daei and 20 from Lionel Messi.
‘CR7’ made his debut with Portgual in 2003, at just 18 years old, and has changed the face of a team that has had a before and after with him. Prior to his debut, the Portuguese had only qualified for three World Cups and three Euro Cups, with him they have not missed any of the international events so far. In addition, he has lifted the 2016 Euro and the 2019 Nations League along the way.
But yesterday Cristiano was not only left with the tribute and became a hero once again to give the three points to the Portuguese team. After going 0-0 for most of the game, at minute 88 Gonçalo Inácio headed into the area and served the shot to ‘7’ that he did not miss. With the win, the Portuguese remain leaders of Group J on the road to Euro 2024 with a perfect pace of four victories in four games.
The former Real Madrid player has had a year of contrasts in 2023. He began with the vestige of the controversy over the way he left Manchester United, after an interview with the English journalist Pierce Morgan, in which the attacker revealed his inconvenience for the little participation he was having in command of Erik ten Hag.
There was also uncertainty about his continuity in the national team after the participation of the Portuguese in the World Cup in Qatar 2022. Portugal was the leader of their group, thrashing Switzerland 6-1 in the round of 16, but was eliminated in the quarterfinals before the surprise of the tournament: Morocco. Cristiano left the Lusail stadium in tears and rumors began about his retirement from international football.
In the midst of all this, his signing with Al-Nassr was finalized. A step that seemed to be heading in the direction of retirement, with an exotic destination in which to get away from the highest level and start his post-soccer life. Saudi Arabia loomed as the last bastion in his career, but the controversy has not separated from the striker in his first six months in Asian football.
His team has not carburized as expected and the successes for now are still waiting. They were runners-up in the League, lost in the Cup semifinals and also in the Super Cup. And the Portuguese has not hidden his frustration, with strong discussions with his coach Dinko Jeli?i?, fights with rivals and even obscene gestures after hearing “Messi, Messi” after a defeat.
But the Portuguese’s career with his team was not over yet and he returned to wear the Portuguese colours. Last Saturday he went through a more than curious episode, when in the clash in Lisbon against Bosnia a spontaneous jumped onto the pitch, ran straight to him and ended up lifting him into the air in a hug that did not seem to bother Cristiano.
For now, the striker continues to be stellar with Portugal and it remains to be seen how far football reaches the five-time Ballon d’Or winner. Next year’s Euro Cup already appears on the horizon, which it seems that it will reach, but there is less clarity around their participation in the 2026 World Cup, in case they qualify.
