Ronaldo closes in on Messi’s incredible record during Portugal's FIFA World Cup opener

Days after bringing an end to his second stint at Manchester United, Cristiano Ronaldo is all set to lead the Portugal team on the field against Ghana on Thursday (November 24). This could probably be Cristiano Ronaldo's final FIFA World Cup and that is why Portugal's talismanic striker will be eager to lay his hands on the elusive trophy which is missing from his cabinet. While Portugal will be aiming to make a winning start to their campaign, Ronaldo is set to etch his name in the history books.

FIFA World Cup 2022: Cristiano Ronaldo set to join Lionel Messi in elite list 

The Portugal football team is among the top contenders to win the FIFA World Cup 2022 title. When Ronaldo takes the field at Stadium 974 in Doha, he will join Lionel Messi on the elite list of footballers who have appeared in five different FIFA World Cups. The 37-year-old will become the eighth player in history to appear in five different World Cups.

The list features the name of  Antonio Carbajal, Rafael Márquez, Andrés Guardado and Guillermo Ochoa from Mexico, Lothar Matthaus from Germany and Gianluigi Buffon of Italy. However, only Carbajal, Matthäus, Márquez, and Messi have played a match in all five World Cups. Having made his debut for the country at the 2006 FIFA World Cup, Ronaldo went on to appear in the 2010 edition (South Africa), 2014 edition (Brazil), and 2018 edition which was staged in (Russia).

Qatar 2022: Portugal vs Ghana match preview 

The buildup to Portugal vs Ghana is headlined by Cristiano Ronaldo's departure from Manchester United. While the talks and opinions are currently surrounding around his next destination, Ronaldo's focus remains to be the FIFA World Cup in Qatar. While 
Portugal coach Fernando Santos will be eager to start the tournament with three points and the team will look to at least reach the semi-finals in this tournament. 

Ghana will have their task cut out having been placed in the most challenging group of the tournament. The Black Stars are not expected to finish above South Korea and Uruguay but the World Cup has thrown some unexpected results already. With Japan and Saudi Arabia registering wins over Argentina and Germany, Ghana will look to upset the star-studded Portugal team. Ghana previously faced Portugal in the 2014 World Cup but lost the tie courtesy of a Ronaldo winner. This time around Black Stars will look to turn the tables around and create yet another upset.