Cristiano Ronaldo sets new record for most international appearances

Cristia Ronaldo became most-capped player in men's international soccer on Thursday.

Ronaldo started in Portugal's European qualifier against Liechtenstein to make his 197th appearance with national team, breaking a tie with Kuwait's Ber Al-Mutawa.

Ronaldo h tied Al-Mutawa with 196 caps after coming off bench in Portugal's loss to Morocco in quarterfinals of World Cup in Qatar last year.

38-year-old Ronaldo h become Europe's most-capped player in 2021 after surpassing Sergio Ramos' mark of 180 appearances with Spain.

Ronaldo, who is also all-time scoring leer in men's soccer with 118 goals, is back with Portugal’s national team after a disappointing World Cup in which he was benched in kckout rounds and left field in tears after loss to Morocco.

He said his return to national team was in doubt after World Cup, but he eventually decided it was t time “to throw in towel.”

New Portugal coach Roberto Martínez said he still counts on Ronaldo and me forward one of his captains entering qualifying for 2024 European Championship.

Portugal's qualifying group also includes Luxembourg, Iceland, Slovakia and Bosnia-Herzegovina. Its next match is at Luxembourg on Sunday. top two nations from each of 10 groups qualify for final tournament in Germany.