Cristiano Ronaldo has made history by becoming the first man to appear in six different editions of the European Championship.
The 39-year-old broke a tie with his former Real Madrid teammate Luka Modric when he started in Portugal's 2-1 win over Czechia on Tuesday during the team's Euro 2024 opener. Modric had previously brought his tally to five appearances when he played for Croatia in their clash with Spain last week.
Ronaldo, who made his debut in the competition on home soil as a teenager in 2004, was instrumental in helping Portugal secure their only continental title in 2016. He holds the European Championship records for the most goals, matches played, and tournaments with a goal.
There was uncertainty about his role with the national team after former manager Fernando Santos relegated him to the bench during the 2022 World Cup. However, Ronaldo, now playing for Saudi club Al-Nassr, has regained his position as a key player under current manager Roberto Martinez. He scored 10 goals during the qualifying rounds for this summer's event.
Ronaldo played the full 90 minutes and scored twice in Portugal's final pre-tournament friendly against Ireland, bringing his record tally to 130 goals in 207 international appearances.
After a record-breaking season in which he set a new Saudi Pro League mark with 35 goals in a single season, Martinez affirmed Ronaldo's place in the Portuguese squad.
"Cristiano is in the team on merit, no one gets in by having a name," Martinez stated during Monday's pre-match press conference, as reported by Tim Spiers of The Athletic. "He scored 51 goals in 50 games and he scored 10 in qualifying. For us, he's a goalscorer, someone who can make that final move, stretch defenders, open spaces. He has changed his way of playing slightly, but he's in on merit and the numbers are there to back that up."
Ronaldo's compatriot Pepe, also part of the current Portuguese side, joins Modric with five European Championship appearances after starting on Tuesday. At 41 years and 113 days old, Pepe is the oldest man to feature in a European Championship, surpassing Hungarian goalkeeper Gabor Kiraly, who was 40 during his last appearance at Euro 2016.
Spanish legend Iker Casillas attended five Euros but played in only three of those tournaments.
