Ronaldo Shatters Records with His Historic 50th Appearance in Major European Tournaments

On Wednesday at the European Championships, Cristiano Ronaldo scripted another chapter in the annals of soccer by kicking off against Georgia in their climactic Group F battle.

Cristiano Ronaldo has etched his name in the record books as the first European to partake in 50 major international matches.

The storied captain marked this milestone during a match with Georgia at Euro 2024, taking place this past Wednesday.

Initiating his journey at Euro 2004, Ronaldo fueled Portugal’s charge to the finals, though they succumbed to an unexpected defeat by Greece.

The maestro clinched the coveted Euros trophy in 2016, a crowning achievement with the national team.

Even though he hasn’t netted a goal at Euro 2024 before the closing group stage, Ronaldo provided a decisive assist for Bruno Fernandes in Portugal’s 3-0 thrashing of Turkiye, his seventh assist of the tournament—a record high.

In this tournament, at a spry 39 years, Ronaldo is sparkling in his sixth Euro appearance.

Moreover, Ronaldo holds the record for most Euro appearances, the match against Georgia marking his 28th.

Only two of these have seen him start on the bench; both were during Euro 2004. He netted his inaugural Euro goal during one of these, a game where Portugal fell 2-1 to Greece.

He’s knocked in 14 goals from 146 shots in Euros, five more than the legendary Michel Platini.

At Euro 2020—postponed to 2021—Ronaldo scored five times, earning the Golden Boot, which he shared with Patrik Schick of Czechia.

Portugal’s top goal scorer has also been a prolific chance creator, with 46 opportunities materializing under his watch, including five assists in just the first two games of the current tournament.

While Ronaldo added a Euro trophy to his trove, the World Cup still eludes him.

2006 saw him make his World Cup debut in Germany, leading Portugal to a fourth-place finish.

Like in the Euros, only two of his World Cup appearances were as a substitute, including Portugal’s quarter-final departure against Morocco in 2022.

During five World Cups for the former Real Madrid standout, he’s bagged eight goals from 102 attempts, but only once has he scored multiple times in a tournament (2018 – four goals).

However, Ronaldo and coach Roberto Martinez now focus solely on Euro glory, with the World Cup ambitions set aside.