Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo is poised to make history by playing in his record-sixth UEFA European Championship.
The 39-year-old forward has been included in Portugal’s 26-man squad for this summer’s Euro 2024 tournament in Germany.
Previously, Ronaldo shared the record of five European Championships with Spain’s legendary goalkeeper Iker Casillas.
Set to participate in his 11th major international tournament, Ronaldo is the most capped player in international football history, boasting 206 appearances and 128 goals for Portugal.
Portugal’s head coach Roberto Martinez named Ronaldo as one of seven forwards in the squad for next month’s Euro 2024 in Germany.
Martinez emphasized Ronaldo’s enduring value, “Regarding Cristiano, it’s better to talk about the data. He is a player who scores 42 goals in 42 games for his club, and this shows his continuity and physical ability to always be fit, in addition to the quality he has in front of goal that we really like and need,” Martinez said.
Ronaldo first appeared in a major tournament at Euro 2004, where Portugal reached the final but lost to Greece on home soil.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner was instrumental in Portugal’s Euro 2016 triumph—his only major international title—and their Nations League victory in 2018-19.
Martinez’s squad features nine players from Premier League clubs, including Wolves trio Jose Sa, Nelson Semedo, and Pedro Neto.
Also selected from the English top flight are Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes and Diogo Dalot, Manchester City’s Bernardo Silva and Ruben Dias, Fulham’s Joao Palhinha, and Liverpool’s Diogo Jota.
The squad also includes veteran defender Pepe, 41, and his 21-year-old Porto teammate Francisco Conceicao.
Winger Conceicao, son of former Portugal international Sergio Conceicao, earned his first senior cap against Slovenia in March.
Ronaldo, who has been an integral part of the Portuguese squad for nearly two decades, will be looking to add to his impressive legacy which includes being the all-time leading scorer in European Championship history.
Portugal will face the Czech Republic in their Group F opener on June 18, followed by matches against Turkey and Georgia.
