While helping Portugal grab a victory over 2022 World Cup hosts Qatar, Cristiano Ronaldo made a bit more history at the same time.
Cristiano Ronaldo has surpassed former Real Madrid teammate Sergio Ramos as the most capped men’s European player in international football.
The Portugal captain won his 181st cap in a 3-0 friendly win over Qatar on Saturday to move clear of Ramos, who has collected 180 caps for Spain, in the all-time rankings.
Ronaldo marked his milestone night in style by scoring his 112th international goal to hand Portugal the lead. He came off at half-time for international debutant Rafael Leao.
Jose Fonte and Andre Silva later added two more goals in the second half to seal a solid win in Algarve for Fernando Santos’ men.
Portugal return to action on Tuesday for a World Cup qualifier against Luxembourg. If Ronaldo plays, he’ll earn his 182nd cap – leaving him just 13 caps shy of Malaysia player Soh Chin Ann’s world record of 195.
Top 10 men’s European players with the most international caps
| # | Player | Country | Caps |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Cristiano Ronaldo | 🇵🇹 | 181 |
| 2. | Sergio Ramos | 🇪🇸 | 180 |
| 3. | Gianluigi Buffon | 🇮🇹 | 176 |
| 4. | Vitālijs Astafjevs | 🇱🇻 | 167 |
| 5. | Iker Casillas | 🇪🇸 | 167 |
| 6. | Martin Reim | 🇪🇪 | 157 |
| 7. | Lothar Matthäus | 🇩🇪 | 150 |
| 8. | Anders Svensson | 🇸🇪 | 148 |
| 9. | Robbie Keane | 🇮🇪 | 146 |
| 10. | Anatoliy Tymoshchu | 🇺🇦 | 144 |
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