Goli Innocent 
Cristiano Ronaldo is set to break another record that may never be matched.
Cristiano Ronaldo is set to make history once again on Thursday when he could break yet another record that may never be matched by another player.
It’s been almost 20 years since CR7 made his first ever appearance for the Portuguese National side when he made his debut against Kazakhstan in 2003 and if he features in the Euro 2024 qualifier against Liechtenstein – he will become the most-capped men’s international player of all-time.
Ronaldo has collected 196 caps for Portugal during a remarkable international career but it appears the Al-Nassr talisman is far from finished yet as he targets his next standout achievement.
As it stands, the seasoned veteran is currently tied on 196 international appearances with Kuwait legend Bader Al-Mutawa, who coincidentally is the same age as the 38-year-old having also made his national team debut back in 2003.
Messi is not a million miles away having played 172 times for Argentina but it has been speculated that he will now reduce his involvement with the national team having won the World Cup to prolong his club career.
The Paris Saint-Germain could add more caps to his name this international break though after being named as part of Lionel Scaloni’s 35-man squad to face Panama and Curacao in friendlies.
The two matches have been penciled in as part of a celebration o Argentina’s World Cup success in Qatar as it hands the players another chance to celebrate and enjoy the stunning triumph.
Scaloni has already confirmed that Messi will be automatically guaranteed a place in Argentina’s 2026 World Cup squad should he wish to be involved but with Ronaldo keen to continue playing for Portugal, it seems he will maintain his substantial lead over Messi as the international game’s most-capped player.
If Messi is still far away and is most likely not to catch up before his career winds up then who will?
CR7 will already have it engraved into the back of his mind that he will want to retire from international football with a clear lead at the top of the appearance standings.
There are only a handful of active stars that are currently close to Ronaldo’s appearance record at the international level and the majority of them have already retired.