Ronaldo reaches 234 caps to extend European international record

Cristiano Ronaldo has extended his record as Europe’s most-capped men’s international player, reaching 234 appearances for Portugal, according to an updated release on the UEFA Nations League website. The 41-year-old forward reached the mark after playing in Portugal’s 1-0 victory over Wales in their Nations League Group D opener. His latest appearance moved him 32 caps ahead of Croatia midfielder Luka Modrić, who is listed on 202.

Ronaldo became the first player to make 200 international appearances when he played against Iceland in June 2023. He marked that occasion by scoring an 89th-minute winner. Before reaching 200, he had taken his total to 197 against Liechtenstein, 199 against Bosnia and Herzegovina and then 200 against Iceland.

The Portugal captain had previously overtaken Spain’s Sergio Ramos as Europe’s record holder. Ramos finished his international career with 180 appearances, while Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon is listed next on 176. Poland striker Robert Lewandowski follows on 168.

Ronaldo is also identified in the release as Europe’s leading international goalscorer. It says he passed 100 goals in September 2020, matched Ali Daei’s then-world record of 109 during Euro 2020 and moved beyond it in the European Qualifiers in September 2021. The list also includes former Spain goalkeeper Iker Casillas on 167, Latvia’s Vitālijs Astafjevs on 166, Estonia’s Konstantin Vassiljev on 159 and Croatia’s Ivan Perišić on 158.

Belgium’s Jan Vertonghen is listed on 157, alongside Estonia’s Martin Reim and Switzerland’s Granit Xhaka, both on 156. Ronaldo’s latest appearance further separates him from the previous European benchmark and extends a record he first broke in 2021, when he moved beyond Ramos’s predecessor, according to the Nations League material.