Cristiano Ronaldo Equals Men's International Appearance Record By Earning 196th Portugal Cap

No player in the history of soccer has featured in more men's international games than Cristiano Ronaldo. Ronaldo earned his 196th Portugal cap against Morocco.

Robert Summerscales | Dec 10, 2022

Cristiano Ronaldo Equals Men's International Appearance Record By Earning 196th Portugal Cap /

No player in the history of soccer has featured in more men's international matches than Cristiano Ronaldo.

The former Real Madrid forward earned his 196th cap for Portugal when he came on as a 51st-minute substitute in Saturday's World Cup quarter-final against Morocco.

In doing so, Ronaldo equaled the record set by Kuwait forward Bader Al-Mutawa.

Kuwait captain Bader Al-Mutawa pictured during a friendly game against Latvia in March 2022 :: IMAGO/Domenic Aquilina

Al-Mutawa could yet reclaim the record outright because he is still an active player.

Ronaldo and Al-Mutawa are both aged 37 with the Kuwait star one month older than the five-time Ballon d'Or winner.

Both men began their international careers in 2003.

Ronaldo has scored 118 times for Portugal to date, while Al-Mutawa has 56 international goals to his name.

Cristiano Ronaldo pictured kissing the ball before converting a penalty against Ghana to score at his fifth FIFA World Cup for Portugal — Cristiano Ronaldo pictured during the 2022 FIFA World Cup :: IMAGO/Ulmer/Teamfoto

Published Dec 10, 2022

ROBERT SUMMERSCALES

Robert Summerscales launched FanNation Futbol in February 2022. Rob is a British journalist who previously spent two years on the sports desk at the Daily Mail in London, having earlier served as editor of CaughtOffside.com. He has been to the last two FIFA Men's World Cups, in Russia and Qatar, and is looking forward to completing his hat-trick in North America in 2026.