By: Ellie Zhang

Cristiano Ronaldo became the first men’s football player to make 200 international appearances. He celebrated that milestone by scoring the winning goal in the 89th minute as Portugal beat Iceland 1-0 in a European Championship qualifier.

Ronaldo scored the only goal in the game on Tuesday against Iceland, who played with ten men after Willum Willumsson was sent off with 10 minutes to go in the Euro 2024 qualifier.

Overtaking Kuwait forward Bader Al-Mutawa’s 196-cap record in March, the 38-year-old Ronaldo was honored by Guinness World Records before kickoff on Tuesday for reaching 200 games for Portugal almost 20 years after he made his debut for the national side.

Ronaldo scored three goals during the Euro 2016 to help Portugal win the tournament, their first trophy in 20 years. However, the former Manchester United player suffered an injury in the 18th minute of the final, getting subbed off in the 25th minute.

Real Madrid’s all-time top goalscorer won his second trophy for Portugal during the inaugural edition of the UEFA Nations League in 2019.

Ronaldo equaled the record for the most-capped international player ever during the 2022 FIFA World Cup when he played his 196th match for his country in the knockout stages against Morocco. Ronaldo scored the first goal in March 2023 in a Euro 2024 qualifier against Liechtenstein.

Ronaldo was very proud to complete 200 games for Portugal.

“So happy. It’s that kind of moment that you never expect to do, 200 caps. For me it’s an unbelievable achievement,” Ronaldo said. “Of course, to score the winning goal, it’s even more special.”

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