Cristiano Ronaldo made his 197th appearance for Portugal on Thursday evening, becoming the most-capped men's international player of all time in the process.

The 38-year-old moved level with Kuwait's Bader Al-Mutawa on 197 caps when he played for Portugal in their final match of the 2022 World Cup against Morocco.

There was huge uncertainty surrounding Ronaldo's future at international level following the tournament in Qatar, but he was selected in Roberto Martinez's first squad.

Ronaldo was in the starting side against Liechtenstein on Thursday, with Portugal opening their Euro 2024 qualification campaign with a 4-0 success in Lisbon.

The forward's presence in the starting XI meant that he became the most-capped men's international footballer of all time with 197, and he found the back of the net on two occasions against Rene Pauritsch's team.

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Joao Cancelo sent Portugal ahead in the eighth minute of the contest before Bernardo Silva doubled the home team's advantage in the early stages of the second period.

Ronaldo then scored twice in Lisbon, netting from the penalty spot in the 51st minute before adding Portugal's fourth in the 63rd minute of the Group J contest with a free kick.

The brace took the striker onto 120 international goals, now 11 clear of second-placed Ali Daei, while Lionel Messi is third on the list with 99.

Ronaldo has also become the first player to score 100 competitive international goals, and he has now found the back of the net in 20 successive years for Portugal during a stunning career.

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Speaking ahead of the contest with Liechtenstein, Ronaldo said that 'records are his motivation'.

"Records are my motivation. Being the most capped player in history - I have to confess that it is something that leaves me quite proud," he told reporters.

"In addition to being the best scorer ever for the national teams, I would also like to be the most international capped player. But not only tomorrow (Thursday), I would like to have a lot of matches in the future."

Meanwhile, new Portugal boss Martinez said: "I look for commitment. And Ronaldo has huge commitment to the national team, is a major figure for it, and has experience he can pass on."

Ronaldo had his contract at Manchester United terminated towards the end of last year following his explosive interview with Piers Morgan, where he was highly critical of the club.

The attacker now represents Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia, and he has scored nine times and registered two assists in his opening 10 appearances for the club.

Written by
Matt Law