Cristiano Ronaldo to break all-time men’s international caps record

LISBON: Cristiano Ronaldo will break the men’s international appearance record on Thursday after being named in Portugal’s starting line-up for their Euro 2024 qualifier against Liechtenstein.

The 38-year-old, who was dropped from the Portuguese starting XI during the World Cup in Qatar, will win a 197th cap for his country.

Ronaldo made his international debut in 2003 and became the first man to score in five World Cups last year before Portugal lost to Morocco in the quarter-finals.

He is currently playing for Saudi club Al Nassr after an acrimonious end to his second spell at Manchester United.

Ronaldo’s appearance off the bench in the defeat by Morocco equalled the previous mark of 196 caps held by Kuwait’s Bader Al-Mutawa.

The five-time Ballon d’Or winner will also be hoping to increase his record tally of 118 international goals as Portugal begin their qualification campaign for next year’s European Championship in Germany.