Cristiano Ronaldo receives Guinness World Records certificate ahead of his 200th appearance for Portugal in qualifier against Iceland… before netting 89th-minute winner!
Cristiano Ronaldo has always relished a sense of occasion and struck in typical fashion, bagging a winner on the same night he was honoured with a plaque for his 200th international appearance.
Al-Nassr forward Ronaldo received a Guinness World Records certificate for having the most international caps for a male player.
The closest to Ronaldo’s tally is Bader Al-Mutawa, who was capped by Kuwait on 196 occasions.
Fittingly, Ronaldo marked the occasion by scoring the winner in the 89th minute as Portugal won 1-0 against Iceland, who had been reduced to ten ᴍᴇɴ following the dismissal of Willum Thor Willumson.
The 38-year-old turned home Goncalo Inacio’s header with a poacher’s finish and celebrated wildly.
Cristiano Ronaldo was honoured by Guinness World Records ahead of his 200th cap
The Portugal star found the net in the closing stages as he helped his side secure victory
Ronaldo has made more international appearances than any other male player in history
There was a pause before VAR allowed the goal to stand having originally been called offside in the build-up.
Ronaldo made his senior debut for Portugal against Kazakhstan in August 2003.
He is also Portugal’s all-time record scorer with 123 goals.
Ronaldo won the European Championship with Portugal in 2016 and also experienced success in the Nations League in 2019.
Ahead of the game against Iceland, Ronaldo, as reported by ESPN, said: ‘Two hundred games played proves the love I have for my country.
‘For me it is an extremely important milestone. It means a lot. [Two hundred] is a beautiful number that [no ᴍᴇɴ‘s player] has.
‘I’m very proud because this is something I never thought I could reach. And I’m continuing to set records.’
At the World Cup in Qatar last year, Ronaldo became the first male player to score in five World Cups.
He also holds the record for the most international hat-tricks with ten.
In 2003 Ronaldo made his international debut for Portugal against Kazakhstan
Ronaldo marked the landmark game by scoring the winner; his 123rd goal for Portugal
