Cristiano Ronaldo completed a unique hat-trick of world records on Thursday after he became the player with the most caps in men's international football.
CR7 made his 197th international appearance during Portugal's Euro 2024 qualifier against Liechtenstein, breaking the previous record held by Kuwait striker Badr Al-Mutawa who featured in 196 matches for his country.
With his latest milestone, Ronaldo becomes the first player to score records for most goals, hat-tricks, and appearances on the international stage.
The five-time Ballon d'Or winner extended his international goal tally to 120, the most by a men's player in history, with his twin goals against Liechtenstein. The next player on the list is Iran legend Ali Daei, with 109 goals.
Meanwhile, Ronaldo's arch-rival Lionel Messi occupies the third spot with 99 goals.
Also, Ronaldo is the first and only footballer to score ten hat-tricks for his country, having achieved the landmark in Portugal's 5-0 demolition of Luxembourg in October 2021.
Interestingly, the former Real Madrid and Manchester United forward's Portugal career appeared to have finished after he was dropped from the playing XI during last year's World Cup in Qatar.
However, Ronaldo made a return under new manager Roberto Martinez who trusted him to deliver the goods during Portugal's qualification campaign for Euro 2024.
The Funchal-born football star didn't let him down as he scored a brace to secure a comfortable 4-0 victory for Portugal.
CR7 made his 197th international appearance during Portugal's Euro 2024 qualifier against Liechtenstein, breaking the previous record held by Kuwait striker Badr Al-Mutawa who featured in 196 matches for his country.
With his latest milestone, Ronaldo becomes the first player to score records for most goals, hat-tricks, and appearances on the international stage.
The five-time Ballon d'Or winner extended his international goal tally to 120, the most by a men's player in history, with his twin goals against Liechtenstein. The next player on the list is Iran legend Ali Daei, with 109 goals.
Meanwhile, Ronaldo's arch-rival Lionel Messi occupies the third spot with 99 goals.
Also, Ronaldo is the first and only footballer to score ten hat-tricks for his country, having achieved the landmark in Portugal's 5-0 demolition of Luxembourg in October 2021.
Interestingly, the former Real Madrid and Manchester United forward's Portugal career appeared to have finished after he was dropped from the playing XI during last year's World Cup in Qatar.
However, Ronaldo made a return under new manager Roberto Martinez who trusted him to deliver the goods during Portugal's qualification campaign for Euro 2024.
The Funchal-born football star didn't let him down as he scored a brace to secure a comfortable 4-0 victory for Portugal.