By: Dhruv Sampath

This week, Cristiano Ronaldo became the only male footballer to play in 200 international games. No other player has represented their country more times in the international soccer arena.

In the European Championship qualifying match against Iceland, Ronaldo scored in the 89th minute to beat Iceland 1-0. Before the game, he was given the Guinness World Record certificate to mark the achievement of 200 appearances for his country.

In an interview after the match, he said “It’s the kind of moment you never expect, to reach 200 caps. For me, it’s an unbelievable achievement. To be in the Guinness World Records is amazing and to score the winning goal is even more special.”

Since he began playing for Portugal in 2003, Ronaldo has scored numerous goals and broken several records. He has played for several prestigious football clubs in Europe including Juventus, Real Madrid, and Manchester United. He was the first player to win the Champions League trophy five times.

Ronaldo is the top goal scorer for Real Madrid and holds the distinction of most goals in a season for both Manchester United and Juventus.

In his international career, Ronaldo holds the record for most goals scored for his country. Not only that, he is the only player to have scored in five World Cups. He is the only player to have played in five Euro tournaments and is the leading goalscorer. With over 840 goals, he is the highest goal scorer of all time. Football legend Zinedine Zidane had this to say about Ronaldo’s abilities, “People need to realize who Cristiano Ronaldo is. He’s a truly remarkable professional football player, who works like no other athlete.”

He currently plays for Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia, reportedly earning £ 177 million per year. He is the highest-paid player in the world.

Arguably one of the best players in the world, Ronaldo’s fans look forward to more achievements from him.