Cristiano Ronaldo, the captain of Portugal, achieved a remarkable feat on his historic night by scoring a last-minute winning goal in their Euro 2024 qualifying match against Iceland. This victory also marked Ronaldo as the first men’s player to reach 200 international caps.
In the match, the 38-year-old forward found the back of the net from close range, redirecting Goncalo Inacio’s header into the goal. Initially ruled out due to an offside call on Inacio, the goal was eventually awarded after the intervention of the video assistant referee.
With this goal, Ronaldo extended his world record tally to 123 international goals. Prior to the game, he was presented with a certificate from Guinness World Records, recognizing his achievement in surpassing Kuwait’s Bader Al-Mutawa’s record of 196 caps in March.
Speaking after the match, Ronaldo expressed his joy, describing the milestone as an “unbelievable achievement” and emphasizing the significance of scoring the winning goal. Despite Portugal’s less than stellar performance, he believed their victory was deserved.
Ronaldo’s international career spans two decades, beginning with his debut in 2003, and he remains a key player for Portugal despite playing for Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia after the World Cup. The illustrious forward, who has represented Sporting Lisbon, Manchester United, Real Madrid, and Juventus, has been honored with the prestigious Ballon d’Or award five times.
His fifth goal in the Euro 2024 qualifying campaign propelled Portugal to a perfect record of four wins from four matches. Meanwhile, Iceland, who have secured only one victory so far, had Willum Willumsson sent off with a red card due to two bookings in the final 10 minutes of the game.
