Cristiano Ronaldo Sets Record with 6th Euros Appearance

Cristiano Ronaldo has made history by becoming the first man to appear in six different editions of the European Championship. The 39-year-old achieved this milestone when he started in Portugal’s 2-1 win over Czechia on Tuesday during their Euro 2024 opener. This appearance broke the previous record held by his former Real Madrid teammate Luka Modric, who has participated in five editions of the tournament. Modric reached this tally in Croatia’s recent clash with Spain.

Ronaldo’s debut in the European Championship dates back to 2004, when he played on home soil as a teenager. Over the years, he has helped Portugal secure their only continental title in 2016. He also holds several records in the competition, including the most goals, most matches played, and the most tournaments in which he has scored.

There were questions about Ronaldo’s future with the national team after being benched by former manager Fernando Santos during the 2022 World Cup. However, since moving to the Saudi club Al-Nassr, Ronaldo has reestablished himself as a key player under current manager Roberto Martinez. He scored 10 goals in the qualifying rounds for Euro 2024.

In Portugal’s final pre-tournament friendly against Ireland, Ronaldo played the full 90 minutes and scored twice, increasing his record tally to 130 goals in 207 international appearances. He also set a new Saudi Pro League record with 35 goals in a single season.

Martinez, speaking at a pre-match press conference, emphasized that Ronaldo earned his place in the squad based on performance. “Cristiano is in the team on merit, no one gets in by having a name,” Martinez said, as reported by Tim Spiers of The Athletic. “He scored 51 goals in 50 games and he scored 10 in qualifying. For us, he’s a goalscorer, someone who can make that final move, stretch defenders, open spaces. He has changed his way of playing slightly, but he’s in on merit and the numbers are there to back that up.”

Additionally, Ronaldo’s teammate Pepe also reached a milestone by making his fifth European Championship appearance. At 41 years and 113 days old, Pepe became the oldest player to participate in the tournament, surpassing Hungarian goalkeeper Gabor Kiraly, who was 40 at Euro 2016.

Spanish legend Iker Casillas attended the Euros five times but only played in three tournaments.